Rural Tourism and Vernacular Architecture: An Example from Elmalı, Antalya
Hacer MUTLU DANACI, Meryem ATİK

Abstract
In rural tourism, people want to experience the vernacular architectural structure, culture, and environment of that neighborhood settled in rural landscape far from the city. This means that it is not possible to mention a rural cultural landscape without the rural landscape, vernacular architecture, and cultural life in that place. Rural tourism brings total protection along with the recovery of the rural economy. It is essential in rural tourism to use the vernacular architecture in order to respond to the tourism needs. Within this context, the Elmalı District, which is a living cultural landscape area with a rich historical background, as in many rural localities in Anatolia, was reviewed in terms of used or unused vernacular architectural elements, rural cultural landscape of which might serve to tourism. For instance, the houses most of which are still in use by the villagers may respond to the lodging needs of the tourists, and the syrup buildings, which are likewise in use, and molasses-making and grape harvest will be an interesting, different cultural experience for tourists. The study also evaluates the village institutes, mills, and bee hive structures in terms of their potential of being used for tourism purpose.

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