Levantine Architectural Heritage in Mersin: Traditional Houses, Commercial Buildings and Churches

Mersin, one of the Eastern Mediterranean port cities, is located in the south of Turkey. This region was known as the Cilicia Region in ancient times. At the present time the Adana, one of the most developed cities of Southern Anatolia, is located in the east, Antalya, the most developed city of Turkey in terms of tourism, in the west, and Karaman, Konya and Niğde provinces in the north. It is still one of the most important port cities of Turkey, both in terms of its neighbouring cities and its location. The city, which lost its importance during the Middle Ages and it re-gained its value in the middle of the 19th century. During this period, the port of Tarsus lost its importance due the silting up of the Tarsus river and the Mersin port had started to grow. It is not possible to evaluate the development of Mersin and its transformation into a residential area independently from the port and port trade. The most distinctive feature of the Eastern Mediterranean Port cities is a multicultural society and the presence of European merchants called ＂Levantine＂. The word, which means ＂born＂ and ＂East＂, is used to describe the Eastern Mediterranean Countries. In general terms, Levantine refers to those who came from a European family and settled in an Eastern Mediterranean country. Within the scope of this study, the current status of Levantine architectural heritage in Mersin city center and the preservation problems of them investigated. The arrival of the Levantines in Mersin and their activities in the city were examined historically. As a result, the relations they established with the city were examined through the buildings.