Diagnosis of an historical layer from urban context to building scale: The case of Istanbul, Levent Farm and Barracks

Abstract

This paper presents a methodological approach to the process of identifying the traces of Levent Farm and Barracks in the urban landscape of late 18th- and early 19th-century Istanbul, contextualizing and recording these structures as part of a settlement complex. The research methodology includes the preparation of a prediction map, inter-scale evaluations based on cross-referencing with written sources, and the correlation of the findings with historical geography and the contemporary urban context. In this way, the building traces determined by the exploratory field surveys have been holistically identified as part of the Levent Farm and Barracks and registered as tangible cultural heritage values. The research outputs offer a new perspective on the spatial development of 18th-century Istanbul in the context of urban history and urban archaeology, while revealing the potential of evaluating current planning and design processes together with the cultural heritage of the modern period and the potential of valuing different cultural layers as a whole