Özet:

The names of places that reflect the cultural accumulation define experiences, and gives localities meanings. The city's history, the golden cube of civilization, is sometimes contained in the names of neighborhood. Neighborhoods are units where social, cultural, and natural elements and human will are shaped. This study examines the names of neighborhoods, one of the factors that form identity of the city of Siirt, according to the principles of science of topology. Siirt currently has 7 districts and 51 neighborhoods. Information on neighborhoods were taken from district governorates, municipalities, mukhtars, local written sources, journalists and the public. Many factors were taken into consideration when naming the neighborhoods that represent the past. These factors could include not only physical conditions of the locality but also human factors. The neighborhoods in this study area were categorized based on the classification by Aliağaoğlu (2013). As a result, it is possible to classify the neighborhoods within the province of Siirt as urban neighborhoods, republic neighborhoods, neighborhoods with names of persons, neighborhoods that depend on religious structures, tribal neighborhoods, political neighborhoods, professional neighborhoods, displaced neighborhoods and others, according to the physical and human characteristics or their locations. Although it is seen that the old culture of the city is not forgotten and kept alive in the names of neighborhoods in the Siirt province, the neighborhoods are also affected by the cultural changes experienced over time.