The aim of this research is to metaphorically determine the perceptions of the local people living in Mersin regarding cultural heritage. The Phenomenology design was used in the research and 417 local people living in Mersin were reached. In the study, with the semi-structured form, it is like “Cultural heritage… from the local people. Because …” were asked to complete the sentence. According to the findings obtained from the content analysis in the research, a total of 93 different metaphors related to cultural heritage were developed by the local people. Metaphors related to cultural heritage most developed by local people; treasure, gold, past, history, mirror, memory, and national value. The metaphor expressions developed by the participants are under 6 categories.