To examine local architecture, one must start with the natural and social environment and the construction materials and techniques of local architecture: Economic structure, lifestyle, standards of judgment, relations within the family and with relatives; effects of customs, local rules, traditions and beliefs on.

Architectural elements all need to be considered in the context of local architecture. Local architecture has no monumental purpose; in other words, structures are not built for the purpose of leaving a deliberate trace behind them. Typical construction materials from the region in question are used in local architecture. Therefore, similar buildings can be seen in places which have similar regional conditions and geological structures. The buildings that make up local architecture are built by their owners or local artisans. Generally speaking, local architecture has an anonymous structure. Thus, local architecture is also called "Anonymous Architecture".

A folklorist will look at a house within the framework of these criteria:

a) The natural environment where it is constructed,
b) Functions,
c) Equipment, tools and construction materials used,
d) Construction technique,
e) Common practice and belief in the surrounding area.

Within the framework of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage adopted in 1972, 851 properties have been registered by UNESCO to the World Heritage List for bearing outstanding value to humanity. 9 of these properties are found in Turkey whose significance in terms of cultural and natural heritage common to humanity can not be overlooked.

TURKISH HERITAGE SITES ON THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST
(Source: whc.unesco.org)

Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia

Date of Inscription: 1985
Category: Cultural / Natural
Description: In a spectacular landscape, entirely sculpted by erosion, the Göreme valley and its surroundings contain rock-hewn sanctuaries that provide unique evidence of Byzantine art in the post-Iconoclastic period. Dwellings, troglodyte villages and underground towns - the remains of a traditional human habitat dating back to the 4th century - can also be seen there. This site contains superlative phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance and it is an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, which is representative of a culture or human interaction with the environment.