Perception of Historical Environment

We know that the tendency to value and protect cultural assets, and the practices carried out for this purpose, are not a new behavior or a new trend unique to our age, as many people believe, but have a clear and distinct place in human history. This fact has been clearly emphasized in Prof. Dr. Cevat Erder’s books titled Tarihi Çevre Kaygısı (Concern for Historical Environment) and its continuation, Tarihi Çevre Bilinci (Awareness of Historical Environment), and subsequently in the book published by UNESCO as a single volume, “like an updated summary,” titled Our Architectural Heritage: From Consciousness to Conservation.

Tarihi Çevre Algısı (Perception of Historical Environment) is the first updated Turkish edition of Cevat Erder's latest book. Erder suggests that it is natural for there to be differences in decisions and practices related to the protection of cultural assets in places where the cultural values of societies vary; and that time and space must be taken into account in discussions made through examples and analogies from different societies: “In this field, also referred to as ‘conservation science’ in recent years, before criticizing some practices that can be observed in different cultural environments and may appear different, on the grounds that they do not adhere to or comply with generally accepted international principles, it is necessary to investigate the reasons influencing these practices within the overall culture of that country, and the time and environment in which the practices were carried out. I believe that research conducted for this purpose will lead us out of the chaos we are currently in and into a more beneficial, or at least more accurate, environment. I am of the opinion that Turkey, like the European countries such as Italy, France, and England, exemplified in the book, possesses qualities that can easily enable it to reach a level where it can be among these countries with many examples to showcase in conservation.”

ABOUT CEVAT ERDER
Prof. Dr. Cevat Erder, one of the pioneering figures in the field of cultural heritage conservation in Turkey and worldwide, joined the METU Faculty of Architecture in 1964 to participate in the establishment of the Department of Maintenance and Repair of Historical Monuments, which continues as a postgraduate program affiliated with the Middle East Technical University Department of Architecture. He served as the head of this department between 1964 and 1973, and as the Dean of the METU Faculty of Architecture between 1977 and 1979, while also serving as a member of the Executive Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) between 1965 and 1974.
Cevat Erder, who was elected as the Director-General of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), headquartered in Rome, twice consecutively between 1981 and 1988, won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the restoration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in 1986, the ICCROM Award in 1997, and the Piero Gazzola Award from ICOMOS in 2003. In 2004, he was honored with the Service Award within Turkey's prestigious TÜBİTAK Science, Service, and Incentive Awards for "the establishment of the METU Department of Maintenance and Repair of Historical Monuments, his service to conservation, particularly conservation education, at national and international levels, and his pioneering role in the establishment and institutionalization of the discipline related to cultural heritage conservation in Turkey." Cevat Erder, who is currently a member of the UNESCO Monitoring Committee and the ICOMOS Turkey National Committee, has been and continues to be the initiator and implementer of campaigns advocating for urgent measures to protect cultural heritage under urban and other environmental threats throughout his professional life.

WHO IS PROF. DR. CEVAT ERDER?

Prof. Dr. Cevat Erder, one of the pioneering figures in the field of cultural heritage conservation in Turkey and worldwide, joined the METU Faculty of Architecture in 1964 to participate in the establishment of the Department of Maintenance and Repair of Historical Monuments, which continues as a postgraduate program affiliated with the Middle East Technical University Department of Architecture. He served as the head of this department between 1964 and 1973, and as the Dean of the METU Faculty of Architecture between 1977 and 1979, while also serving as a member of the Executive Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) between 1965 and 1974. Cevat Erder, who was elected as the Director-General of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), headquartered in Rome, twice consecutively between 1981 and 1988, won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the restoration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in 1986, the ICCROM Award in 1997, and the Piero Gazzola Award from ICOMOS in 2003. In 2004, he was honored with the Service Award within Turkey's prestigious TÜBİTAK Science, Service, and Incentive Awards for "the establishment of the METU Department of Maintenance and Repair of Historical Monuments, his service to conservation, particularly conservation education, at national and international levels, and his pioneering role in the establishment and institutionalization of the discipline related to cultural heritage conservation in Turkey." Cevat Erder, who is currently a member of the UNESCO Monitoring Committee and the ICOMOS Turkey National Committee, has been and continues to be the initiator and implementer of campaigns advocating for urgent measures to protect cultural heritage under urban and other environmental threats throughout his professional life. In addition to his leadership roles, he has contributed to the training of many experts currently active in this field through his lectures and seminars, particularly in architectural history and the history and theory of monument preservation and restoration. Before Tarihi Çevre Algısı (Perception of Historical Environment), Cevat Erder published Tarihi Çevre Kaygısı (Concern for Historical Environment), Tarihi Çevre Bilinci (Awareness of Historical Environment), and Our Architectural Heritage: From Consciousness to Conservation.