DOI: 10.51525/johti.1919236 ISSN: 2687-5543

Integrating Justinian's Bridge into Tourism-Landscape Identity within the Context of Cultural Landscape

Gizem Cengiz Gökçe, Gökçe Bektaş Onay, Akif Gökçe
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Cultural landscapes are dynamic spatial systems formed by the long-term interaction of natural and cultural elements, shaping urban identity and collective memory. In this context, historical bridges are not only engineering structures but also important components of cultural heritage and spatial continuity. The Justinian Bridge in Sakarya, built in 562 AD, stands out as one of the significant Late Antique infrastructures of Anatolia. However, the bridge's landscape identity and tourism potential have not been adequately assessed, and it has been integrated into contemporary tourism strategies to a limited extent. This study examines the Justinian Bridge within the framework of the relationship between cultural landscape and tourism, evaluating its potential contribution to sustainable tourism development. The research employs a qualitative case study method based on literature review, field observations, spatial analyses, and examination of existing planning documents. The findings show that despite the bridge's high historical, visual, and symbolic value, it is weakly integrated into the tourism system due to insufficient promotion, limited interpretive infrastructure, and deficiencies in landscape-focused planning. The study reveals that interpretive design, digital wayfinding systems, and holistic landscape planning strategies can increase the bridge's visibility and contribute to the integrity of Sakarya's cultural landscape. This study provides a framework for integrating historical infrastructure into sustainable tourism development by linking cultural landscape assessment with tourism-oriented spatial planning, and offers a landscape-based perspective for the preservation and management of historical bridges.

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