Spatial analysis of sericulture and silk production in Southern Marmara Region

Silk production has been one of the most fundamental industrial activities shaping the economic and cultural structure of Anatolia from 130 BC to 1453 AD. The Southern Marmara Region has played a central role in the historical process of transforming silk from raw material to finished product. In this context, traditional houses, workshops, cocooning facilities, and silk factories located in the Southern Marmara Region were studied to systematically identify and document the development of silk production structures in the region through the relationship between production processes and spatial organization. Within the scope of the research, the process extending from traditional residential-scale production to industrial factories has been documented considering field studies, on-site observations, and archival documents. This study, which adopts qualitative research methods, is supported by literature data, institutional reports, interviews with local people, architectural fieldwork, and architectural documentation data. Considering the data obtained, the architectural features of silk production structures in the region, their production processes, and the social and cultural reflections of this production have been examined within a holistic framework. In conclusion, this study analyzes the heritage of silk production from an architectural perspective, offering a scientific framework based on qualitative and empirical methods for the preservation and transmission of this unique industrial heritage to future generations.

Keywords: Silk production, Southern Marmara, cultural heritage, spatial analysis, silkworm.