Designed by City Planner and Researcher Veysi Altıntaş and Tofan Sünbül, a founding member of Chalak Events, this workshop focuses on the intangible cultural heritage elements of Kurds, such as fairy tales, dengbêjî (traditional storytelling/singing), legends, mythological narratives, and children's games. The primary aim of the study is to treat these elements of oral culture not merely as folkloric values, but as strategic resources that generate concrete data for urban planning and public space design, carry social memory into the future, and contribute to the construction of social peace. The workshop aims to develop new methods to make the invisible cultural layers of the city visible and functional in spatial planning processes.
The vast Kurdish geography possesses an immense memory space, shaped for centuries by oral tradition, encompassing forms of social organization and a culture of common life. However, due to the policies of oppression, prohibition, and denial implemented throughout the Republican era, this rich heritage could not be systematically compiled nor incorporated into modern urban planning processes. Although cultural studies within local governments have gained momentum in recent years, these activities have largely remained language-focused, limiting the integration of intangible elements like fairy tales, mythology, and games/plays into spatial practices.
Using intangible cultural heritage as a data set in planning processes is critically important both for preserving cultural continuity and strengthening social peace. The spatial images contained within oral culture provide concrete and authentic data for urban design. In this context, the workshop opens up for discussion the ways to make "intangible" cultural heritage "tangible" within the discipline of planning. This approach will make it possible to incorporate into design the elements that constitute the spirit of the city but are not found on maps.
As the main output of the workshop, it is planned to develop comprehensive policy recommendations for local governments on how this cultural accumulation can be integrated into urban planning. The recommendations to be prepared will provide a practical framework for the recognition of cultural rights, the preservation of memory spaces, and the consideration of cultural identity in public space design. Furthermore, it is aimed to transform the data obtained from oral culture elements into concrete inputs that can be directly used in urban design and cultural planning processes.
The first part of the workshop begins with the "Conceptual Framework and Preparation" phase, which will take place between 10:00 and 12:00. Following the opening and introduction, a presentation will delve deeply into the social and spatial dimensions of intangible cultural heritage. In this phase, the goal is to increase participants' theoretical awareness of the subject by conducting an interactive discussion on the role of oral culture as an "invisible layer" in urban planning processes.
Following the theoretical introduction, a practical mapping exercise will be conducted on a map of Diyarbakır starting at 11:00. Participants will carry out spatial work based on the city's memory and oral culture stops, making preliminary preparations on how abstract elements like fairy tales, legends, and dengbêjî can be transformed into concrete data for urban design. After a one-hour lunch break, the program will transition to the second part: the field experience phase.
In the afternoon part of the event, between 13:00 and 15:00, "Mala Dengbêjan" (The Dengbêj House) and "Mala Çîrokbêjan" (The Storytellers' House) will be visited to observe the theoretical knowledge on site. This field visit will provide an opportunity to directly experience the spatial counterparts of oral culture and evaluate current practices. Following a short break, the program will conclude with a general evaluation session at 15:30. In this closing section, concrete policy recommendations for local governments will be discussed based on field observations, and the main outputs of the workshop will be clarified.
Language: Kurdish (Kurmanji) and Turkish
Participation: Open to everyone aged 18 and over.
Capacity: 30 people.