Mining heritage and relevant geosites as possible instruments for sustainable development of miner towns in Turkey

*Gürbüz, Esra ( Aksaray, Yazar )History of mining in Anatolia goes back to the pre-pottery Neolithic in parallel to history of ancient civilizations in the region. Based on archaeological findings, native copper was the first metal used by humans, and right after, it was mined in central Anatolia. The mining of copper seemed to cause both the birth of metallurgy and powerful civilizations (e.g. Hittites, Assyrians, Lydians, Phrygians). Long-time mining of copper, lead, tin, gold and silver formed and left rich and valuable scientific and cultural heritages in Anatolia. They have been used efficiently in archaeological studies; however, miners’ towns need sustainable development now and the mining heritage could be a potential on it. In this study, potential of the mining geoheritages and some relevant geosites have been presented...