The Archaeological Settlements of Bursa - BAY Project

The BAY (Archaeological Settlements of Bursa) Project aims to document archaeological settlements and monuments which still resists to the destructive effects of time in Bursa province and share archaeological information with the public.

An archaeological heritage inventory of Bursa (nor another city in Turkey) has never been made before. Especially in last decades, due to the increase of urbanization, mechanizing of agriculture and illegal treasure hunting excavations in our province and country, many archaeological sites of Bursa and Turkey are destructed.

Nevertheless many sites are coming face to face with destruction that made by human hand or nature. The most important step we have to take to stop this process and save the heritage is to collect and compile cultural heritage information to establish a central inventory. Inventory studying have to be completed as soon as possible, the destruction (agriculture, urbanization and illicit excavation) of sites have to be prevented and public needs to be informed on this matters.

BAY Project is continuing to constitute the inventory of archaeological sites. At BAY Project web site which is available since 2004;

You can find,

-Settlement information regarding Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages (only in Turkish),

-Information regarding to the fieldwork (only in Turkish).

The basic aim of the fieldwork which are conducted by BAY Project is not to examine of excavations and surveys. But it is interested in to how archaeological sites were damaged during the last decades. Fieldworks are mostly restricted as determining the today's situations, documenting them again and -if available-investigating for destruction situation of the sites. During the first step of fieldwork which is started in 2004 summer, BAY Project visited 21 archaeological sites that are dated from the Neolithic to the end of Early Bronze Age. We have documented the destruction, constituted an archive regarding archaeological sites and finally presented the results to science world, regional and national public opinion through internet.

Visit: The Archaeological Settlements of Bursa - BAY Project

Kültür Varlıklarının Korunmasında Yerel İnisiyatiflerin Önemi

Bursa'nın Tarihöncesi ve BAY Projesi