The primary aim of the design is to preserve the city’s memory, restore the function of the town square, and, based on the long-standing relationship between the square and the arasta, contribute to the preservation, revitalization, and continuity of the historic arasta district.

> Location and Urban History

Cumhuriyet Square is located in the district center of Divriği, Sivas. Over the centuries, this area has served three different roles: Çarşıbaşı, Grain Market, and Municipal Square. In the past, the city judge, after consulting with the guilds, would announce the official prices of staple goods such as bread, meat, and oil through public criers at Çarşıbaşı, while state decrees were also read aloud here to the people. All kinds of locally produced goods and livestock were sold in this marketplace, also known as the Grain Market, upon payment of market duties. After the establishment of the municipality in the 1870s, the square became a venue for public gatherings, official ceremonies, and announcements, and was thus also called the Municipal Square. All these historical records show that this area has always functioned as a public space in the city’s memory. In recent years, however, it has lost its function and turned into a parking lot. The main objective of the Cumhuriyet Square project is to preserve the city’s collective memory, reinstate its role as a civic square, and revive the Historic Arasta District alongside it.

> Cultural and Economic Sustainability

The square project incorporates elements that narrate the city’s long history, stretching back to settlements as early as 1200 BC, and the succession of civilizations that shaped it, almost like an open-air museum. In the design, environmental, economic, and social criteria were carefully considered, with a strong preference for natural and local materials. The project also includes highly active amenities such as rentable cafés, a taxi stand, and a tourism office—facilities that both meet the city’s needs and generate revenue to cover the square’s maintenance costs. To increase the limited amount of green space in the city center, approximately 50% of the project area has been designed as a park.

> The Principle of Preserving and Sustaining the Square

What makes the project distinctive and innovative is that it has been conceived not merely as a square, but as a multifunctional space that reflects the city’s memory, highlights the region’s cultural and natural wealth, and offers a narrative of these values. The square is designed to serve both the residents and visitors of the city, providing a place for social and cultural engagement. The ultimate goal is to transform an underused and functionally lost space into a vital part of the city’s public life once again.