Development of Awareness on Cultural Herıtage in Dıyarbakır Provınce: Muze-i Humayun Honorary Offıcer Natık Efendy and Its Actıvıtıes

The Ottoman Empire hosted many culturally different civilizations and maintained dominance over rich lands in terms of both quality and quantity. In the field of cultural heritage, although a path was followed in accordance with the methods of law and fiqh at the beginning, progress was made in the field of regulations over time, and a contribution was made to the development of the awareness of museology and antiquities. The foundation of modern museology in the Ottoman Empire was laid during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecit and with the efforts of Fethi Ahmet Pasha. However, In the period of II. Abdülhamit and Osman Hamdi Bey’s directorship of the museum, deep-rooted legal and institutional arrangements were made. There upon, the cultural heritage consciousness that emerged in the Ottoman center was reflected in the countryside in a short time. This study was written in order to determine the development of antiquities consciousness in the Ottoman provinces, especially in the context of the attitude Honorary Officer of the Diyarbakir Müze-i Hümayun (imperial museum) of Natik Efendy, as well as the local officials. Also, in the XIX. the end of the century and the XX. covers the first years of the century. In the said process and in line with the stated purpose, a general evaluation was made on the development of the cultural heritage consciousness in Diyarbakir Province and the activities of Diyarbakir Müze-i Hümayun Honorary Officer Natik Efendy were also examined in depth. According to this; How the cultural heritage consciousness emerged in Diyarbakir, how the antiquities policies implemented in the center reflected on Diyarbakir, what processes were passed and what kind of path was followed, the position of Natik Efendy in the field of antiquities and his activities in Diyarbakir were discussed. Subsequently, the efforts to determine what kinds of artifacts were transferred from Diyarbakir to the Müze-i Hümayun and how they were preserved were evaluated. In order to find answers to these questions, this process has been followed through the documents that the Ottoman Empire kept during that period and which are in the Ottoman archives today, as well as the press life of the period and the annuals. In addition, the works written in the mentioned period and in the following periods were also consulted.