International conservation agenda focuses on the significance of understanding rural heritage with a holistic approach considering both tangible and intangible aspects. However, tangible aspects are still the main concern of legal documents as well as academic discussions in Turkey. Thus, most of rural heritage sites are either demolished or lost its authentic characteristics without being understood and documented inclusively. This study aims a holistic understanding of Gölde (İncesu) rural settlement within the border of Kula where Muslim Turkish and Orthodox Rum communities lived together until the beginning of the 20th century. Considering the aim of the study; both tangible and intangible characteristics of Gölde are deciphered by using different information sources; observation and analysis of the physical environment for tangible, and narratives of the present Muslim and past Orthodox Rum inhabitants for intangible. Thus; continuing, changed and lost values of Gölde could be evaluated. The results of the study made it clear that analysis of the sole physical environment in not enough to understand a place with all its dimensions. Intangible characteristics that shaped and/or performed in this physical environment should be also understood.