| INTRODUCTION
Soofia T. Elias-Ozkan and Françoise Summers
The Kerkenes Project was inaugurated in 1993 to study the Iron Age capital that had
once stood on the Kerkenes Mountain, which overshadows the village of Sahmuratli, Sorgun,
Yozgat. During the 20 years of the archaeological campaign directed by Geoffrey
Summers, a central concern was that any impact, social, cultural or economic, should be for
the benefit of the village and the region. In 2002, the Kerkenes Eco-Center Project was
initiated by Francoise Summers and has since received funding from a wide range of sponsors
that include UNDP-GEF Small Grant Program, funds from several Embassies, companies and
the AICC.
A new challenge faced the project in 2013 when it had to be dissociated from the
archaeological research project that was temporarily run under the Yozgat Museum.
Sustaining the momentum without the regular input from the caretaker paid by the Oriental
Institute of the University of Chicago was problematic and support had to be sought
elsewhere. Alternatives are being considered and local authorities offered significant support
to ensure the continuation of the Kerkenes Eco-Center. Two groups of METU students took
part in the Hands on session in September 2013 before the start of the fall semester and a
group of students and staff from Kayseri visited Kerkenes for a day and joined in project
activities. Photos are posted on the Kerkenes Eco-Center Web page as well as on the
Facebook page.
Mission
The purpose of the Kerkenes Eco-Center is to promote sustainability through
environmental studies. It pursues the following objectives:
• To advocate the use of renewable sources of energy;
• To act as a stimulus and a catalyst for environment-friendly building with
appropriate materials and energy efficient designs;
• To act as a dynamic experimental base for testing designs, materials and activities
suitable for viable and sustainable village life.
• To encourage village development and income generating activities that might
halt and even reverse migration from rural areas to the cities.
|
