Abstract:

Today, Bozkır is a district of Konya province. The district center is also known by this name. The district center, which has been called Isauria Vetus, Leontopolis, Siristad and Bozkır from the ancient times to the present day, has an important historical potential. In this article, the course of reconstruction and public works activities in the Bozkır, which appears partially closed in terms of accessibility, has been briefly analyzed from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic. Particularly, the status and demographic structure of the Bozkır district center in the nineteenth century, household and road development works, construction and repair processes of public buildings and other public works activities constitute the content of the study. Çarşamba Stream flows in the middle of the town of Siristad, which is the center of the Bozkır district, whose population increased and developed economically thanks to the mine opened during the Ottoman period. There is a stone bridge over this river, which is the oldest historical structure in the region and is also known as the Seljuk Bridge. The mosque, school, madrasah, junior high school and government mansion located next to this bridge are the basic elements that make up the city silhouette of Bozkır. The construction date of the mosque, which still exists today, is considered to be the nineteenth century, but it is clear that it was a repair or reconstruction. During the Ottoman period, the zawiyas and masjids in the Bozkır town center were also important religious buildings. The government office fell into disrepair in the late nineteenth century. Bozkır Administrative Council contacted the Konya governorship to rebuild or repair the government office. However, a comprehensive repair could not be made. The construction and repair of buildings belonging to military warehouses and some educational institutions could not be fully completed. These demands were repeated during the constitutional monarchy period and the Balkan wars, but this was no longer possible due to the intervening wars. These demands were largely realized during the Republic period. However, the issue of fixing the Bozkır-Alanya road was not brought up again. Instead, the Bozkır-Akseki road was opened. In this study, documents from the Ottoman Archive and partly from the Republic Archive were used. However, other sources were also used. The article also includes some analyzes about the current situation of Bozkır in relation to the past.