Research Article

DIGITAL ROUTE PROPOSAL FOR CONNECTING COMMUNITIES WITH THEIR NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE: TiREASURE App

Volume: 4 Number: 1 May 22, 2026
TR EN

DIGITAL ROUTE PROPOSAL FOR CONNECTING COMMUNITIES WITH THEIR NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE: TiREASURE App

Abstract

Access to heritage is often limited by economic, geographical, and temporal barriers, while challenges such as insufficient promotion and over-tourism threaten sustainability. The COVID-19 pandemic emphasised the need for remote access, increasing interest in digital heritage experiences. Heritage routes include natural and cultural elements, yet while principles for physical access are established, digital access regulations require development. Moreover, in current digital presentations of heritage, tangible aspects dominate, while intangible elements are insufficiently highlighted. The study aims to propose a digital platform that holistically represents both the tangible and intangible values of cultural routes by transferring relevant natural and cultural heritage assets into the digital environment. A historic town and its landscape on the Silk Road in far West Asia, Tire, Türkiye, is considered as the case study. Tire’s heritage includes local herbs, rope-making crafts, and communal bathing traditions, all of which are threatened by urban migration and declining knowledge transmission. The methodology uses augmented reality (AR), interactive maps, 3D models, environmental sounds, and storytelling techniques to create immersive experiences that enhance accessibility. As a result, TiREASURE, a user-centered digital platform that integrates the tangible and intangible aspects of the natural and cultural route in Tire, provides a model for preservation planning. This study offers opportunities to experience natural and cultural routes remotely while also enhancing on-site experiences through digital tools. This approach helps mitigate issues of abandonment and over-tourism, promoting balanced, sustainable interaction with heritage. Additionally, it emphasizes the potential for interdisciplinary collaboration in creating innovative digital heritage solutions.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

This study did not receive any financial support for the preparation of the article or the research conducted.

Ethical Statement

This study has been approved as ethically appropriate by the Social Sciences and Humanities Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee of the Izmir Institute of Technology, pursuant to Decision No. 10/01 dated October 30, 2025.

Thanks

The AI tool OpenAI ChatGPT-4 (accessed in January 2025) was employed to create video content for the Instagram page developed to promote the TiREASURE app. Grammarly (v1.2.215.1793, accessed in September 2025) was also utilized to enhance sentence conciseness and spell-check during the process of converting the thesis into an article.

References

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  4. Culture Routes Society. (2025). All routes. Retrieved January 8, 2025, from https://cultureroutesinturkey.com/allroutes/
  5. Çakmak, C. (2002). Tire hamamları. Ankara: T.C. Kültür Bakanlığı Sanat Eserleri.
  6. Çakmak, Ş. (2019). Tire Yalınayak Hamamı restorasyonu ve yapıya ilişkin yeni bulgular. Sanat Tarihi Dergisi, 28(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.29135/std.522672
  7. Emmanouilidis, C., Koutsiamanis, R.-A., Tasidou, A., & Leontiadis, S. (2013). Supporting cultural route sustainability via innovative digital heritage applications and services. In Manual of wise management, preservation, reuse and economic valorisation; of architecture, of totalitarian regimes, of the 20th century (pp. 176–182).
  8. European Commission. (2021). Green, digital, innovative European cultural heritage 2021–2022. Brussels: European Commission. Retrieved from https://www.horizontevropa.cz/files_public/elfinder/4652/green,%20digital,%20innovative%20european%2 0cultural%20heritage%202021-2022.pdf

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Architectural Heritage and Conservation

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

May 22, 2026

Submission Date

November 18, 2025

Acceptance Date

April 8, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 4 Number: 1

APA
Gülkaya, Ş. E., & Hamamcıoğlu Turan, M. (2026). DIGITAL ROUTE PROPOSAL FOR CONNECTING COMMUNITIES WITH THEIR NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE: TiREASURE App. Mekansal Araştırmalar Dergisi, 4(1), 36-55. https://doi.org/10.71298/maddergi.1793973
AMA
1.Gülkaya ŞE, Hamamcıoğlu Turan M. DIGITAL ROUTE PROPOSAL FOR CONNECTING COMMUNITIES WITH THEIR NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE: TiREASURE App. maddergi. 2026;4(1):36-55. doi:10.71298/maddergi.1793973
Chicago
Gülkaya, Şeyma Ebrar, and Mine Hamamcıoğlu Turan. 2026. “DIGITAL ROUTE PROPOSAL FOR CONNECTING COMMUNITIES WITH THEIR NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE: TiREASURE App”. Mekansal Araştırmalar Dergisi 4 (1): 36-55. https://doi.org/10.71298/maddergi.1793973.
EndNote
Gülkaya ŞE, Hamamcıoğlu Turan M (May 1, 2026) DIGITAL ROUTE PROPOSAL FOR CONNECTING COMMUNITIES WITH THEIR NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE: TiREASURE App. Mekansal Araştırmalar Dergisi 4 1 36–55.
IEEE
[1]Ş. E. Gülkaya and M. Hamamcıoğlu Turan, “DIGITAL ROUTE PROPOSAL FOR CONNECTING COMMUNITIES WITH THEIR NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE: TiREASURE App”, maddergi, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 36–55, May 2026, doi: 10.71298/maddergi.1793973.
ISNAD
Gülkaya, Şeyma Ebrar - Hamamcıoğlu Turan, Mine. “DIGITAL ROUTE PROPOSAL FOR CONNECTING COMMUNITIES WITH THEIR NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE: TiREASURE App”. Mekansal Araştırmalar Dergisi 4/1 (May 1, 2026): 36-55. https://doi.org/10.71298/maddergi.1793973.
JAMA
1.Gülkaya ŞE, Hamamcıoğlu Turan M. DIGITAL ROUTE PROPOSAL FOR CONNECTING COMMUNITIES WITH THEIR NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE: TiREASURE App. maddergi. 2026;4:36–55.
MLA
Gülkaya, Şeyma Ebrar, and Mine Hamamcıoğlu Turan. “DIGITAL ROUTE PROPOSAL FOR CONNECTING COMMUNITIES WITH THEIR NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE: TiREASURE App”. Mekansal Araştırmalar Dergisi, vol. 4, no. 1, May 2026, pp. 36-55, doi:10.71298/maddergi.1793973.
Vancouver
1.Şeyma Ebrar Gülkaya, Mine Hamamcıoğlu Turan. DIGITAL ROUTE PROPOSAL FOR CONNECTING COMMUNITIES WITH THEIR NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE: TiREASURE App. maddergi. 2026 May 1;4(1):36-55. doi:10.71298/maddergi.1793973

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