I examine how political landscapes influence heritage discourses and archaeological practices in Türkiye from an archaeologist’s perspective. I explore whether the Turkish Republic's nationalist ideology has utilized heritage ideas and archaeological practices for propaganda purposes. Have heritage and archaeology missions in Türkiye benefited from these nationalist influences in any way? I analyze this relationship within its historical context to answer these questions and to understand Türkiye's nation-building process and policy development through heritage discourses and archaeological practices. A notable example of this influence is the transformation of the Hagia Sophia Mosque into a museum by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, at the beginning of the 20th century, followed by its reconversion into a mosque in the 21st century by the ruling conservative party, which has held power in Türkiye for over 20 years. Additionally, there is a noticeable shift in government-sponsored projects towards the archaeology and the conservation of Islamic cultural assets—including Ottoman monuments abroad, mainly in Balkan countries—rather than focusing on “Anatolian” cultures, which was the common practice during the secular Early Republican Era of the 1920s-50s, following the nonsecular Ottoman Empire. The rise of popular, widely exported soap-opera-style TV series in contemporary Türkiye, which supposedly depict the so-called Turkish-Islamic heritage, contrasts sharply with the appreciation of Greek and Latin texts and the appropriation of “Anatolian” cultures in the 20th century, highlighting a significant shift in popular culture.

First Author: Hüseyin Soy

Keywords:
Türkiye
heritage discourses
archaeological practices
political influence
government-(non)sponsored heritage projects
popular culture