Understanding and interpreting the symbolic meaning of Cehennemağzı Caves

Abstract

This study aims to examine how the rich visual meanings and aesthetic values with historical dimensions of the Cehennemağzı Caves convey messages to viewers; to create cultural awareness in the transfer of natural and cultural resources to future generations, aiming to reach historical, aesthetic, and symbolic richness and introduce these values to a wide audience. The research on the Cehennemağzı Caves aims to determine the historical, cultural, aesthetic, and communicative aspects of the motifs and symbols in the caves. At the same time, the purpose of this research is to create awareness by drawing attention to symbolic and figurative motifs that best reflect universal and national values. The stages of the study are approached as sign analysis steps defined by Charles S. Peirce. These stages are defined as the analysis of the sign itself, the analysis of the relationship between the sign and the object, and the analysis of the relationship between the sign and the interpreter. The limitations of the study cover the figures and archaeological elements (symbols) from that period found in the Cehennemağzı Caves. Field research and document analysis are used together. While the photographs taken in the caves are obtained as a result of field research, data on the discovery, formation, and recording of symbols are handled through the document analysis method. Direct observation, participant observation, qualitative interviews, ethnography, and case analyses were used in the field research, and the direct observation method was used. The fact that the symbolic analysis of the Cehennemağzı Caves has not been previously conducted constitutes the significance of our study. The aesthetic and symbolic value analysis we conducted through the Cehennemağzı Caves draws attention to the complexity of symbols and signs and the relational nature of meaning, in harmony with Charles S. Peirce's theory of semiotics. This analysis will help us understand the aesthetic and symbolic values of the caves and transfer the cultural heritage to future generations accurately. It has been demonstrated in this study that access to historical, aesthetic, and symbolic values can be achieved through research based on cultural consciousness in the light of Charles S. Peirce's theory, and these values can be introduced in a specific and general sense.