Bilecik'teki kır yerleşmelerinden biri olan ve insanın doğal çevre ile etkileşiminin bir sonucu olarak ortaya çıkan saya yerleşmeleri kırsal nüfus için önemli bir ekonomik ve kültürel değere sahiptir. Fakat sayalar günümüzde giderek terk edilmekte, kullanılmayarak yok olmaktadır. Saya yerleşmelerinin giderek terk edilmesinde; kırsal ekonomik düzenin artan nüfusu besleyebilecek yeterlilikte olmaması, hijyen şartları, küçükbaş hayvancılıkla uğraşmanın zor olması sebebiyle genç nüfusun bu işle uğraşmak istememesi ve kırsaldan kentlere doğru olan göçler etkili olmaktadır. Bu araştırmanın amacı; Bilecik'te sayıları giderek azalan saya yerleşmelerinin ortaya çıkış sebeplerini, kuruluş yeri seçiminde etkili olan faktörleri, mülkiyet yapısını, saya yapımında kullanılan malzemeleri, saya tiplerini, sayalarda yapılan faaliyetleri ortaya koyabilmek ve sayaların giderek tek edilmesinde etkili olan faktörleri vurgulamaktır. Sakarya Nehri ve kolları, Bilecik ve çevresinde plato alanlarını yararak engebeli bir topografya oluşturmuştur. Engebeli topografyanın geniş yer tutması, tarıma uygun arazilerin az yer kaplamasına ve hayvancılık faaliyetlerinin ön plana çıkmasına yol açmıştır. Bilecik'te küçükbaş hayvancılık faaliyetleri yapmak amacıyla, köyün dışındaki otlak alanları üzerinde kurulmuş, ağıl ve çoban kulübesinden meydana gelen ve genellikle yıl boyu kullanılan yerleşmelere saya adı verilmektedir. Araştırmalarımız sonucunda sayaların; köylerde beslenen küçükbaş hayvan sürülerinin sayıca fazla olması sonucunda, köyde yaşayanların sağlıklarını korumak, ekili dikili alanlara zarar vermesini önlemek ve otlak alanlarına yakın olmak amacıyla ortaya çıktığı ve geleneksel olarak devam ettirildiği görülmektedir. Bilecik'te ayrı bir yaylası bulunan köy sayısının az olması da sayaların ortaya çıkışında önemli bir etkendir. Sayaların kuruluş yeri seçiminde topografya, iklim, bitki örtüsü ve su kaynakları gibi doğal faktörlerin yanı sıra; arazi mülkiyeti gibi beşeri coğrafya faktörleri de etkili olmaktadır. Sayaların otlak alanlarına yakın olması, hayvanların fazla yol yürümemesi, bol, taze ot ile beslenmesi et ve süt verimlerini artırmaktadır. Bilecik'teki geleneksel sayalar, sayanın yakın çevresinden sağlanan malzeme ile basit bir şekilde inşa edilmiştir. Sayaların temel yapı malzemesini taş, kerpiç ve ahşap oluşturmaktadır. Bunun yanı sıra; branda, germe, naylon ve sac kullanılan diğer yapı malzemeleridir. Yeni yapılan sayalarda tuğla, kiremit, tel örgü ve kereste de kullanılmaktadır. Beslenen küçükbaş hayvan sayısının fazla olmasına göre, saya yerleşmesinin büyüklüğü de artmaktadır. Sayaları iç kısımları tek bir bölmeden meydana gelebildiği gibi birkaç bölmeye de ayrılabilmektedir. İnsan çevre etkileşiminin bir sonucu olarak ortaya çıkan ve kırsal ekonomik düzenin zenginliklerinden biri olan saya yerleşmeleri, geleneksel kültürün devamı açısından önemlidir. Sayıları giderek azalan bu tip yerleşmelerin kırsal ekonomiyi korumak, kırsaldan kentlere doğru olan göçleri azaltmak ve hayvancılığı geliştirmek bakımından desteklenmesi gerekmektedir

Saya, as one of the rural settlements in Bilecik in midwest Turkey, which has emerged as a result of human interaction with the natural environment, has considerable economic and cultural value for the rural population. However, the number of sayas is increasingly decreasing and they are being redundant today. The factors that affect the gradual abandonment of settlements include the inability of rural economic order to feed the growing population, the hygienic conditions, the difficulty of dealing with small livestock breeding, and the reluctance of the young population to deal with stock breeding, and migration from rural to urban areas. The purpose of this research is to highlight the causes of the emergence of sayas in Bilecik whose number is drastically decreasing nowadays, the factors that influence the choice of location, property structure, the materials used for building of sayas, types of sayas, to reveal the activities carried out in sayas and to highlight the factors that influence the increasing decrease of sayas. The Sakarya River and its tributaries formed a rugged topography by cutting the plateau areas around Bilecik and its surroundings. The rugged topography has caused the agricultural areas to take up little space and animal husbandry activities to become at the forefront. In Bilecik, the settlements established on grassland areas outside the village for the purpose of carrying out small animal husbandry activities, consisting of sheep-folds and shepard's hut and often used throughout year are called sayas. It was found out in our research that sayas came to being due to the high number of small ruminant animals fed in the villages in order to protect the health of the people living in the villages, to prevent them from harming the cultivated areas and to be close to the grassland areas. Also the small number of villages in Bilecik which have a separate plateau is a significant impact on the emergence of the sayas. As well as natural factors such as topography, climate, vegetation and water resources; human geography factors such as land ownership are also effective. The fact that the sayas are close to the grassy lands, the animals do not walk too far, and the abundance of fresh grass increases the yields of meat and milk. In Bilecik, traditional sayas were simply made of the materials in the immediate vicinity of the sayas. Besides; other structural materials are used such as canvas, stretchers, nylon, and sheet metal. As the number of the sheep and goats is higher, the size of the saya settlement is increasing. The inner parts of sayas consist of a single section, also they are divided into several sections. In sayas with several divisions, there are rooms for mother sheep, lambs and newborn lambs. Saya, which emerged as a result of human environmental interaction and is one of the riches of the rural economic order, is important for the continuity of the local culture. These types of settlements, which are decreasing in number, need to be supported in order to protect the rural economy, reduce migrations to rural areas and improve livestock.Saya, as one of the rural settlements in Bilecik in midwest Turkey, which has emerged as a result of human interaction with the natural environment, has considerable economic and cultural value for the rural population. However, the number of sayas is increasingly decreasing and they are being redundant today. The factors that affect the gradual abandonment of settlements include the inability of rural economic order to feed the growing population, the hygienic conditions, the difficulty of dealing with small livestock breeding, and the reluctance of the young population to deal with stock breeding, and migration from rural to urban areas. The purpose of this research is to highlight the causes of the emergence of sayas in Bilecik whose number is drastically decreasing nowadays, the factors that influence the choice of location, property structure, the materials used for building of sayas, types of sayas, to reveal the activities carried out in sayas and to highlight the factors that influence the increasing decrease of sayas. Field works of our research were carried out with visits to the stations between April and September 2016. During these visits, semistructured interviews were held with the owners of the sayas currently in use and those who had previously been involved in those places. Photographs of the abandoned sayas were taken and archived. Interviews were held in some villages' squares and coffee houses with regard to the activities carried out in the sayas. Finally, a semi-structured interview was conducted with the President of the Bilecik Sheep and Goat Breeding Association. The Sakarya River and its tributaries formed a rugged topography by cutting the plateau areas around Bilecik and its surroundings. The rugged topography has caused the agricultural areas to take up little space and animal husbandry activities to become at the forefront. The excess of small ruminants fed in villages makes it difficult to manage these ruminants in the village. In addition, the risk that the herds of small livestock could destroy planted areas inside and around the village brought the need to feed and shelter animal feeds away from the village. In Bilecik, the settlements established on grassland areas outside the village for the purpose of carrying out small animal husbandry activities, consisting of sheep-folds and shepard's hut and often used throughout year are called sayas. In Bilecik, saya is also called bed because the herd (sheep and goats) rest there at night after grazing, and is called barracks due to being hosted in a remote village in winter. It was found out in our research that sayas came to being due to the high number of small ruminant animals fed in the villages in order to protect the health of the people living in the villages, to prevent them from harming the cultivated areas and to be close to the grassland areas. Also the small number of villages in Bilecik which have a separate plateau is a significant impact on the emergence of the sayas. In Bilecik province, the property of the fields on which sayas are established belongs to those owner of the sayas. They cannot be built on others' fields. However, it is rare that sayas are used with the permission or hiring by the owner. In some villages, there can be found two sayas belonging to the same person, one being for winter and another for summer. In Bilecik, sayas are referred to with their owners' names, nicknames, or the names of the places in which they are located. As well as natural factors such as topography, climate, vegetation and water resources; human geography factors such as land ownership are also effective. The fact that the sayas are close to the grassy lands, the animals do not walk too far, and the abundance of fresh grass increases the yields of meat and milk. In Bilecik, there are sayas in the immediate vicinity of the village as well as the ones in distance of 3-4 km. While the villagers whose farms are closer to the village prefer to build a number of sayas in shorter distances in order to make it easier for them to come and go, many of the owners who are not in the immediate vicinity of the village set up a saya in farther distance. The traditional sayas in Bilecik have been built in a simple way with material from the immediate vicinity. The basic building materials of the sayas include stones, mud bricks and woods. Besides; other structural materials are used such as canvas, stretchers, nylon, and sheet metal. Newly built ones are made of bricks, tiles, wire netting and timber. As the number of the sheep and goats is higher, the size of the saya settlement is increasing. The inner parts of sayas consist of a single section, also they are divided into several sections. In sayas with several divisions, there are rooms for mother sheep, lambs and newborn lambs. Since transhumance is not widely performed in Bilecik, sayas assume an important function in terms of animal husbandry. While sayas close to the village are used throughout the year, those far from the village can remain unused in winter. In sayas, work starts early in the morning. First, milking of sheep and goats is done, and after animals are grazed, cleaning of the sayas is done. At times when the number of sheep was high, shepherds used to be hired for the animals that were fed in the sayas. The shepherds came from nearby villages as well as from the surrounding provinces such as Kütahya and Afyon. With the decrease in the stock of sheep and goats, the cheese made in the settlements or in the villages can be marketed with order without need to take it to the district or city market. While traditional shepherds are men in sayas; the works such as milking, transport of the milk, making the cheese, the feeding of the animals and the cleaning of the sayas were usually done by women. Yet, men were also helping women to the possible extent. Today, most of the work that women have to do is done by men. For a family with saya settlement, the shepherd's dog means a lot. Both saya as a rural settlement and the herd of small livestock are exposed to all kinds of hazards in the natural environment. For this reason, the shepherd's dog is very important for protection of the saya and the animals in general. Most of the time, a shepherd's dog is the best guardian and the best friend of both the shepherd and the herd owners. The shepherd's dog must be robust in order to protect the shepherd and the family in the best way. Therefore, when choosing a shepherd dog, herd owners select and feed dog breeds with characteristics that can resist and fight against the wolf, which is the biggest enemy of the herd. The animals kept in sayas are now generally controlled by veterinarians. In the absence of veterinary services, traditional methods were used for fighting animal diseases. For example; when the stomach of the animal is swollen, it has a runny nose and it becomes weak and has difficulty in walking, a hollow is made in the ear of the animal and Helleborusorientalis root is attached. Saya, which emerged as a result of human environmental interaction and is one of the riches of the rural economic order, is important for the continuity of the local culture. These types of settlements, which are decreasing in number, need to be supported in order to protect the rural economy, reduce migrations to rural areas and improve livestock. Here, the livestock policies to be applied to support sayas and livestock breeding gains importance. Rather than the politics on the paper; for the manufacturer; it is necessary to increase the support given to animal breeding such as putting tags, vaccination, transportation, sales, marketing of meat and dairy products.