Realizing projects with the aim of unearthing historical caravanserais around the world and transferring them to future generations, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Güzden Varinlioğlu, Lecturer at Department of Architecture, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), was accepted to two world-renowned universities in the USA and England with a scholarship. Varinlioğlu, who has come to the final stage to design a game about caravanserais and gives lectures to many young people from different countries at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, USA, will continue her scientific studies at Oxford University in England as of January.

Varinlioğlu will conduct research in Oxford for about 6 months to help discover the cultural and natural heritage caravanserais and learn about their history. Varinlioğlu, the heroine of an exemplary success story stretching from Izmir to the USA and then to Oxford, will be one of the few names to carry out this work in the international arena.

Stating that she has been doing research on caravanserais for a long time, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Güzden Varinlioğlu stated that it is gratifying that all these resulted in success abroad as well.

WE BROKE NEW GROUND

Stating that she is proud to be one of the few names who managed to receive scholarships from both the USA and the UK, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Varinlioğlu said, “Caravanserais, the architectural proof of historical trade routes, are among the most important structures of the Anatolian Seljuk period. In addition to the architectural features, I conduct research using different technologies to reveal the trade routes they describe. Using game technologies with virtual reality and augmented reality is the most common method. In this common method, we broke new ground by using emotion-based, computational design methods for how the user feels. We also used simulation and artificial intelligence to identify new routes in the project. These are among my MIT studies. In Oxford, I will continue my historical research with academics who are experts on Silk Roads.” Noting that being in the USA and UK is an amazing experience, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Varinlioğlu said that she sees this process as an opportunity to take historical steps and that she will make the best use of it.