Cultural Heritage Interpretation: Problems and Proposals for the Medieval Churches in the Walled City of Famagusta, Northern Cyprus

Abstract

Interpretation has recently become a more focused topic in the cultural heritage conservation field, due

to the increasing concern about the involvement of the stakeholders and the social pillar of

sustainability. As the enhancement of participation of the stakeholders in the conservation processes

can be achieved by increasing their awareness and appreciation of cultural heritage sites, interpretation

has a considerable role in this process. This research aims to search for methods for developing

interpretation approaches for cultural heritage sites through the assessment of the responses of the

stakeholders. The churches of the Walled City of Famagusta have been chosen as the case study for

this research, due to the apparent interpretation problems. Assessment of the responses of the

stakeholders is accepted as a tool for developing a better interpretation of the cultural heritage

buildings, preventing them from further neglect or possible extinction. This research proposes the

advancement of interpretive approaches for similar undervalued and underappreciated sites. There are

many abandoned heritage buildings worldwide and due to the lack of function and maintenance,

deteriorate easily and are ruined. Similarly, abandoned valuable religious buildings have faced

vandalism deliberately because of the decreasing demand for use or lack of their communities, and

many of them have been insufficiently interpreted for their visitors. This research aims to develop an

interpretive plan for the churches in the Walled City of Famagusta to overcome their current problems.

Keywords: Cultural Heritage Interpretation, Medieval Churches, Church, Cathedral, Walled City of Famagusta, Northern Cyprus, Conservation