SPACE, PRACTICE, MEMORY: the transformations of the houses in Kula, a town in Anatolia (original) (raw)

The evolution of House form and the change of culture: A Turkish Perspective

People continuously modify their living environment to improve their life quality. This has been done in a piecemeal manner traditionally where the physical forms could be gradually adapted to meet the change of lifestyles. However, rapid transformation of cities in the modern age has caused incompatibility of physical forms and the local culture. It is therefore important to study the dynamic link between house forms and the residents' everyday life and needs over time. Within the Turkish context, this paper will explain the change of Turkish house types within 5 different morphological phases when external influences have been in effect. The spatial arrangements of each house type will be analysed through case studies and special attentions will be paid to the everyday use in those houses and the relationships between private, semi-private and public spaces. The conclusion will be drawn on the house form in relation to people's way of living and will shed light on socio-culturally sustainable development and regeneration in contemporary Turkey. This paper will also contribute to the argument for a positive impact of typological processes of physical environment on the local culture.

Transforming Domestic Space: Arapoğlu Mansion, a Single-family House in Pera /Konut Mekanında Değişim ve Beyoğlu'nun Tek Aile Konutları: Arapoğlu Evi Örneği

Mediterranean Journal of Humanities, 2019

Throughout 19th century the Ottoman Empire witnessed significant economic, social and political transformations. The capital city of Istanbul, with a demographically diverse population had its own share of these changes. By the 19th century, Pera, which had gradually begun to be built up from the middle of the 18th century onwards became Istanbul's most cosmopolitan quarter, resembling the western presence in the city. It became a place for the elitist life of foreigners, the notables of the embassies and the non-Muslim minority groups. Around this period a new dwelling type emerged and began to be widely used. These were two to four storey structures, built on narrow frontage lots, each housing only one family. Located on populated roads, these houses didn't offer much outer space. The families moving into these houses probably had to abandon some of their existing living habits to adopt themselves to this new housing type. The Arapoğlu Mansion in Pera was one of these single family houses. It is one of the few buildings in Pera of this typology, which has managed to survive to the present day. After being used as a family residence, it was transformed into a multi-family residential building, and later, into various workshops. This paper aims to introduce the Arapoğlu Mansion as an example to develop an understanding of this typology and to evaluate the domestic life from an architectural perspective, which was formed through the change in lifestyles in the 19th century. Survey drawings of the building, together with written documents describing domestic life in 19th century were employed to investigate how space and social mutually might have affected each other, and, if space actually had an impact in the transforming of social life.

Evolution of the Traditional Turkish House

Structural Studies, Repairs and Maintenance of Heritage Architecture XVII, 2021

Cities or its urban fabric arose over many centuries but during the evolution period, architecture lacked its identity and deform premises erected. Architecture progresses according to many factors and among those influences are intangibles as political drive, inspirations from other civilizations, religious guidance. Whereas physical sways such as climate or availability of materials and skilled labours are behind other great architecture formation. Despite all those influences cities nowadays are similar and buildings are identical regardless of their location on the map. Turkish houses changed during various eras to meet the needs of different generations yet maintained robust characteristics and responsiveness. Hayat house is the traditional residential premise and a significant element in Turkish architecture, it is the core of this article. This paper is an attempt to help students and researchers to learn lessons from our ancestors who managed to advance the components of the...

THE OTTOMAN HOUSE / EVALUATION OF STRUCTURE AND FORM

Introduction: Even if in limited number of samples of Ottoman houses remained, the written sources from the Ottoman period that we accessed show how the Ottoman state power kept a tight grip on the city and its structures, so that the construction practice defined as vernacular architecture was scientifically and technologically managed and supervised from the 16 th century onwards at the latest. The newly emerging socioeconomic requirements of those eras led to an important stage in the development of the Ottoman house. While declaring that the Ottoman house had reached its magnificent peak in 19 th century, we were also witnessing the collapse of the wooden Otto-man house in the meantime.

The transformation of house types in Istanbul in relation to the socio-cultural changes

2005

The house types differentiate at successive social periods. This is the evidence of the transformation in social structures, economic status and the political approaches. In this sense, the diachronic examinations can reveal the interrelation between changing housing types and social formations. The housing reserve and the house ownership relations in Istanbul changed considerably within a century. The population of the city increased. There are a large number of people who need to have houses in proper environmental conditions. For the sake of finding solutions the authorities modify the regulations and try to appropriate the rights into the contemporary conditions. However the contractors' eagerness to earn more results in use of the utmost space. In this way the citizens get the opportunity of owning a house but the spatial quality both in and outside of the houses diminishes. In this paper the diachronic relations between residential buildings and social structures will be evaluated. The housing types built in Kadikoy, one of the districts of the city that holds a significant number of housing settlements will be scrutinized. The purpose of this paper is to argue on differentiating housing types in relation to socio-cultural changes and to scrutinize the coexisting housing types and the resulting plurality pertaining to form in the contemporary city.

European Perspectives on the Ottoman House

2014

This paper traces some European receptions of the typology of housing generally referred to as Ottoman or Turkish. It discusses the regional developments in the Balkans, with a focus on Albania, and particularly the examples of Gjirokastra. But it also makes the connection to the Swedish reception of the pavilions, or kiosks, of the Ottoman sultans of early 18th century. The Swedish king Charles XII, who in the years around 1710 was staying in today’s Moldavia basically as a guest of the sultan, sent an expedition to Istanbul. The officer/architect Cornelius Loos documented some important architectural structures, not least the sultan’s kiosks. Apparently the ideal of comfortable, informal living represented an idea that was meant to reform Swedish royal culture, indirectly making a connection also to representative housing in the Balkans. The ideal became a component in early modern housing development, and this paper finally suggests some successions into 20th century modernity.

Traces of the Anatolian Housing Culture in the Balkans: A Comparative Analysis

Turkish Studies, 2020

The traces of the traditional Anatolian housing culture are easily seen in every region where the Ottoman Empire reigned. In almost every region within the Empire, residences specific to Anatolian culture were built, as well as public buildings such as madrasahs, mosques, dervish lodges, inns, baths, bridges and fountains. Also ethnic, social and cultural differences were blended, and a multi-layered culture with a wide variety-but also with many similarities-has emerged. This cultural interaction is probably most common in the Balkan countries. From the mid-14th century onwards, the empire settled the nomadic Turkish tribes in the newly conquered Balkans, and the interaction of these tribes with indigenous communities, has made the emergence of a common culture inevitable. This was a natural consequence of the settlement policy of the Empire, and it was also a way of spreading its own culture. As a result, the Ottoman Empire left the traces of the Anatolian housing culture in the Balkans. Therefore, certain similar features that constitute the spatial and morphological identity of the Anatolian House are the common ground on which the Balkan and the Anatolian culture meet each other. In this paper, the spatial organizations, structural features and similar aspects of the traditional houses-which are the common cultural product of the Balkan people and Anatolian people who have lived together for centuries-will be examined through the case studies within a conceptual framework. In this context, traditional houses in various regions of Macedonia have been selected as examples of the traditional houses of the Balkans; and in the same sense, traditional houses of Bursa İznik region were chosen as examples of the traditional Anatolian houses. The aim is to make a comparative analysis of these houses, in terms of spatial and cultural aspects. In this paper, as a research method, we will draw on literature review and documentation-examination. And the characteristics of the common cultural heritage will be emphasized within the context of the case studies. So within the scope of this study, it is aimed to ensure that, future generations can also adapt and sustain the common cultural heritage formed by intertwined cultures. Structured Abstract: The formation of the Anatolian houses is affected by the cultural codes of the geography that they were built, as well as various factors such as topography, climate and local materials. Beginning from the mid-14th Century, the Ottoman Empire reached the Balkans and started to settle the Turkish tribes brought from Anatolia in various regions of the Balkans. The Empire had the chance of imposing the Turkish culture without having to change the local language and the religion of the native Balkan communities. Turkish tribes to the territories they occupied in the Balkans and placed them in various cities and towns. In addition, land was given to these Turkish farmers and craftsmen, so that they could connect to their new homeland and survive. This policy made possible to emergence of a new culture in various regions of the Balkan Peninsula, which was blended by indigenous Balkan culture and Turkish culture. This blended culture has left significant

SEARCHING FOR SPATIAL INFLUENCES OF ISLAMIC BELIEFS ON THE TRADITIONAL TURKISH HOUSE

SEARCHING FOR SPATIAL INFLUENCES OF ISLAMIC BELIEFS ON THE TRADITIONAL TURKISH HOUSE, 2018

It is possible to say that the concept of a "Turkish House" is mainly a product of Islam, although the form of dwelling tents in the nomadic period indicates there are some common features with a Turkish house. The religion of Islam and the culture of the Turks in Middle Asia show great integration in the Turkish house. The matriarchal family system of the ancient Turks, before they adopted Islam, was inverted to a patriarchal social order such that it affected the traditional Turkish house. Turkish houses mainly show common socio-cultural aspects affected by religious precepts and execute identical features, depending on the region. Thus, it is important to emphasize that the male-dominated belief of the Turco-Islamic family had not changed until the modern period; and the position of women in the society and the house mostly determines the character of a Turkish house. Religious beliefs bring an introverted form and privacy within the Turkish house; because in Islam, cultural privacy of the family members from the others and from the street is important. In addition to that, the privacy of the women family members or guests in the house is most significant; so the privacy, position and actions of the women in Islam is the most important factor shaping the spatial organization of the house. The traces and reflections of Islam can be directly read into spaces such as the haremlik and selamlık, the orientation of the rooms; and the architectural elements such as the windows, doors or some specialized ones; the relationship between streets and the house, the characteristics of courtyard walls, the location of the toilet, the separation of actions and spaces for toilet and bath, the orientation of spaces to the qibla, and even the knockers of outdoor doors. In the light of this, the purpose of this study is first to assert the concept of "Turkish house", and then its relationship with the religious factors, to reveal this connection specifically to the Islamic Turkish house and to scrutinize the spaces and elements of the Turkish house within this context.

An Examination on the Historical Ankara Houses: An Example of a Traditional House in Altindağ, Ulucanlar, Ankara

Sanat Tarihi Dergisi, 2021

In this article, the historical Anatolian Turkish houses, which have completed their development process in the Ottoman Empire Period have been examined. The plan types of these houses, which acquired their unique character in Anatolia and spread to geographies such as Balkans and Caucasus over time, have been examined in terms of architectural characteristics, construction techniques and decoration features and especially the historical houses built in Ankara, a Central Anatolian city, have been emphasized. In line with the data obtained on the subject, the historical house located in "Ulucanlar Eryokuşu" Street in Altındağ District of Ankara, on block no 2225 and parcel no 6 with door number 9/A has been selected as the case study. The selected sampling area has been examined in terms of the characteristics of the historical Ankara houses. The historical Ottoman-Turkish house has begun to disappear since the 20 th century, so the number of these houses having survived until today is quite low. The purpose of this article is to examine and evaluate the characteristics of historical Ottoman-Turkish houses in Ankara and to clarify the subject through the sample house that still possesses these features and has preserved its originality to a great extent. With this study, it is intended to draw attention to the protection of historical Ottoman-Turkish houses that are few in number today.