Özet:

In 2013, the title was created in the UNESCO World Heritage Provisional List "Kale and Surlu Settlements on the Geneva Trade Road from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea", the list of historic castles selected in Turkey was included and the list was updated with the structures added in 2020. The list also includes castle structures in the Ukrainian Crimean Autonomous Region as an international component outside of Turkey. From Turkey to Istanbul, Yoros Castle, Galata Tower, Foça Castle in İzmir, Çeşme Castle, Güvercinada Castle and Kuşadası city walls, Çandarlı Castle, Amasra Castle in Bartın, Akçakoca Castle in Düzce, Sinop Castle has been listed in the series candidacy file under the title of national components. The Geneva colonies have been established since the Middle Byzantine period with the trade privilege, primarily in the Egean and the Black Sea, including Istanbul. Some of the castle structures built during the Byzantine period in the coastal regions of Anadolu have passed to the Geneva administration or have been rebuilt by the Geneva. With the provision of the Turkish sovereignty in the region, the castles that continued to exist with repair and reconstruction in the Ottoman period, are considered as defense structures that reflect the inter-cultural Mediterranean architectural qualities in the context of the actual cultural heritage. The study discussed the national and international qualities and importance of the castles under the domination of the Geneva colonies in the Egean region in the context of the concrete cultural heritage and cultural heritage tourism. Literary research on the subject has been carried out, the castles and wall settlements listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Provisional List and the castles and wall settlements listed in the "Geneva Trade Road" specified in Turkey have been evaluated. Thro history, in the framework of the trade activity carried out by Geneva traders in Anadolu, the existence of the concrete cultural heritage of the Middle Ages Mediterranean culture of the Egean region, which is central to the maritime route and trade route of the Anadolu coast through the castles located in the areas where the Geneva colonies were established on the coast of Turkey, has been discussed. The UNESCO’s World Heritage Provisional List “Castles and Surlu Settlements on the Geneva Trade Road from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea” contributes to cultural heritage tourism in the context of historical memory and cultural diversity. Therefore, the conclusion was achieved that the participation in cultural heritage thematic tour destinations in the national and international scope in order to restore the route to which the Egean castles are connected could be beneficial in terms of sustainability of international cultural interaction in the Mediterranean.