Turchia Oggi: Spazi per vivere

SPAZI PER VIVERE

Spazi per vivere: è molto vago. Si può intendere tutto e niente. In Turchia il riferimento è alle costruzioni in legno, luoghi che danno quel calore che le abitazioni di oggi purtroppo non offrono più. Il grande architetto Charles-Edouard Le Corbusier, che pure è considerato un innovatore dell’urbanistica impostata su strutture in cemento armato modulate, era un fervente ammiratore dei cosiddetti <legni> turchi così simili a quelli svizzeri eppure anche tanto diversi. Pensiamo di fare cosa gradita ai lettori di <Turchia Oggi> pubblicando una serie di fotografie (53 per l’esattezza) di altrettanti pezzi rari. Cominciamo con le prime quattro costruzioni. Testi e foto sono a cura del ministero degli Affari Esteri turco.

Birgi is one of the most important centers of vernacular dwelling architecture in western Anatolia and Cakiraga Konagi is a prime example of this style. Odemis, Izmir

Detail from a wooden window shitter at the Birgi grand mosque. Odemis, Izmir

The houses of Mugla are important examples of south Aegean architecture with their unusual chimneys and broad, tiled eaves. Nail Cakirhan Cultural Center, Mekezi (Mugla)

The facade of this wooden house is graced with painted decorations is a style that is distinctive of Kula, a town where many fine examples of the vernacular wooden architecture that used to be widespread inwestern Anatolia are still to be found. Kula, Aydin

Kilci Mehmet Agha Mosque. Early 19th century. Bademli, Izmir

Beysehir was an important city in Seljuk times. Its Esrefoglu mosque was built by Esrefoglu Suleyman in 1297. The mosque is decorated with stone, tiles, and woodwork. Its roof is supported by 48 wooden pillars. Beysehir, Konya.

Hot in the summer and mild in the winter, the climate of the Aegean region encourages an open style of architecture for the construction of dwellings, which traditionally were built around courtyards that served as the center of home life. Milas, Mugla.

The blue, ochre, and dark pink painted facades of traditional Kula houses contribute to the town’s charmingly colourful atmosphere. Kula, Aydin.

Alcoves in the Cakiraha mansion have a fine view of the garden and valley. Odemis, Izmir.

The principle living space of the Yakupoglu Memis Agha mansion was its large kitchen. As is the case in most old houses from this period, the kitchen contains a hearth large enough to sit inside and chat in. Surmene Kastel, Trabzon.

Bay window of a house in Kula. Kula, Izmir.

The bay windows of houses in old Antalya extend over narrov streets that are aligned towards the sea so that they can catch the refreshing breezes that blow in from the Mediterranean during the hot summers. Kaleiçi, Antalya.

The houses of Kas are built in an architectural style similar to what is found all over the Aegean. The Lycian tomb nearly bears witness to another architectural tradition that is millennia old. Kas, Antalya.

The exteriors of some Safranbolu houses are articulated in a way that makes it possible to "read" the whole structure at a glance. Safranbolu, Karabuk.

Although they are packed together almost as densely as in any city, every house in the village of Yoruk has its own garden, no matter how small or modest it may be. Yoruk Koyu, Safranbolu, Karabuk.

Safranbolu today has some of the finest and best-preserved examples of the vernacular wooden architecture of the Inner Black Sea Region, Safranbolu, Karabuk.

In the town of safranbolu, many traditional ways of life have survived virtually unchanged despite the passage of years. Safranbolu’s distinctive style of painted wooden architecture is a vital part of the town’s life and culture. Safranbolu, Karabuk.

In the rough terrain of the eastern Black Sea region, settlements tend to be sparsely scattered over a wide area and consist of small clusters of family houses lived in by people who are related to one another by blood or marriage. Ikizdere, Rize.

The wooden ceilings of the guest rooms of Safranbolu houses are usually heavily decorated with carving. Safranbolu, Karabuk

The rooms of a Safranbolu house were designed to be multifunctional so as to satisfy the demands of constant use. Because women spend a large part of their day indoors, windows that open as wide as possible bring an additional dimension to their living-space. Safranbolu, Karabuk.

Each house built on the hillside has a plot of land of its own in front of it. Akçaabat, Trabzon.

A typical Black Sea house with a view of an emerald-green valley. Rize

Timber-built houses perched among tea groves on the slopes of the inaccessible mountains of the eastern Black Sea. Rize.

A breath-taking array of completely hand-carved wooden decoration transforms the interior of the Simsrirli mosque into a scene of great beauty. Ikizdere, Rize.

Set in the broad greensward not far from town, the Tuzcuoglu Memis Agha mansion is constructed of a mixture of wood and stone employing a building technique that is common in Turkey’s eastern Black Sea region. Rize.

The Mahmut Bey mosque was built in 1366 by Emir Mahmud of Kastamonu. A work of the Candaroglu period, the entrance to this small and otherwise plain building is a fine example of the art of wood carving. Kasaba Koyu, Kastamonu.

Carved and painted decorations on the wooden ceiling and pillars of the Kasaba mosque. Kasaba Koyu, Kastamonu.

For the people of the Black Sea region, a tranquil and contented home life is very important. When picking a location for a house, they pay particular attention to the view that it will have. Camlihemsin, Rize.

Because of the roughness of the terrain, the people of the Black Sea region prefer to live within easy of the land that they work. Food supplies, including dried fruits, are stored in barn-like structures called serender, which are located next to the main house. Camlihemsin, Rize.

Eastern Black Sea log cabins are built entirely of wood. The only tools used in the building, a construction technique that is unique to the villages of the region, are axes. Savsat, Artvin

The exterior of this old house was constructed using a building technique frequently encountered in the Black Sea region in which the square cells of a wooden frame are filled with smooth riverbed stoned and then plastered over. Findikli, Hopa, Artvin

A long cabin window with a view of the garden. Savsat, Artvin

A wooden house with a large number of rooms-architectural evidence of an extended family living together. Inebolu, Sinop

With their triangular pediments and arch supporting pillars, Amasya houses bear a resemblance to the architecture of ancient Anatolian rock tombs. Amasya.

Traditional Kastamonu houses. Kastamonu.

A Tarakli house. Tarakli, Bilecik.

The city of Amasya is located in the hinterland of the western Black Sea region, in the valley of the Yesilirmak river. Along the banks of the river, which divides the city in two, are two-story waterside houses built of lath and plaster work. Amasya.

Hekimbasi Daluh Efendi Yalisi. Kanlica, Istanbul

The sight and sound of splashing water added an element of congeniality to an enclosed space in traditional Turkish architecture and the well-off often had an indoor pool with fountains, such as this one in the Kibrislilar Yalisi, Kandilli, Istanbul

Hekimbasi Salih Efendi Yalisi on the Bosporus is unusual because of its asymmetrical plan. Only the harem (women’s) section of this ochre-painted building has survived. Kanlica, Istanbul.

Kibrislilar Yalisi, located on the Anatolian side of the Bosporus, has the longest (64 meters) façade of ant Bosporus yali. Empress Eugénie of France, accompanying her husband on a state visit to the Ottoman capital during the reign of Abdulaziz (1861.1876) was entertained here at a luncheon. Kandilli, Istanbul

Ostrorog Yalisi was buil by Count Ostrorog, a Polish nobleman who served as a legal consultant to the Ottoman Ministry of Justice at the beginning of the 20th century. Kandilli, Istanbul

The elegant steps of a three-story wooden Istanbul mansion. Kadikoy, Istanbul

Serifler Yalisi is one of the loveliest examples of the distinctive Bosporus waterfront mansions known as yali. This hall in the men’s section of the house is designed to command a view on three sides and has a marble pool and fountain in the center. Emirgan, Istanbul

A typical house of old Istanbul with an outer gate whose doors were opened by means of a huge key. Latticed windows admitted light and air while enabling a person to peer discreetly outside and keep an eye on the comings and goings. Fener, Istanbul

A three-story Tarakli house with the upper fllors overhanging the ground fllor. Tarakli, Bilecik.

A house with a baby window in the old district of Muradiye. Bursa

The main hall of Serifler Yalisi has a fine view of the Bosporus. Emirgan, Istanbul.

Two waterfront mansions cluster around the Ottoman fortress built on the Anatolian shore in the late 14^th century: Talat Efendi Yalisi and Pembe Yali. Anadoluhisari, Istanbul.

The Sivrihisar grand mosque was built by the Seljuk emir Mikail bin Abdullah in 1275. Its flat roof is supported by 67 timbered pillars, the upper parts of which are decorated with carving. Sivrihisar, Eskisehir.

Dwellings built within Ankara citadel during the Ottoman period eventually developed into a small inhabited quarter. These two or three-storied wooden houses situated on steep ground in the cramped confines of the fortifications are noteworthy for their Ankara-style overhangs, broad eves, and top floor rooms with breathtaking views. Kaleiçi, Ankara

House on the southern slopes of the mountains running parallel to the Black Sea coast resemble one another in general outline though they differ in the details. The enclosed balcony, window moldings, and carefully crafted eaves make this a fine example of a Tarakli house. Tarakli, Bilecik.

Bursa was the first capital city of the Ottomans and one can still find some of the oldest and most authentic examples of traditional Turkish houses here. Wood was the principle material employed in the construction of these dwellings, which usually have two stories and walls of lath and plaster.