Traditional Timber Houses of Istanbul: Heritage Values and Preservation Problems

Abstract

While the construction of timber houses had been promoted throughout the long history of Istanbul as a response to the fact that the city is situated on a seismic fault, wood as a construction material has been gradually abandoned due to the many disastrous fires the city has experienced. Even so, the timber residences and the urban fabric they once formed traditionally constituted one of the main distinguishing features of Istanbul. These houses are now greatly valued as an element of Turkey's cultural heritage. The districts of Zeyrek and Süleymaniye, two of the four areas of Istanbul that were included on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1985, have urban fabrics predominantly consisting of timber houses. Despite this status, however, the timber houses in these areas could not be preserved with their original construction techniques and details. In this article Istanbul's traditional residential architecture is examined in terms of its value as a cultural heritage and a determination is made of the factors threatening these values. Two original examples that have been examined in detail, on the basis of their historical development and current features, are presented and the preservation problems encountered by timber houses in Istanbul are examined through these examples.

The roofs of Istanbul’s wooden houses with the influence of European styles

“…Although the change of traditional house under European influence is known and the styles were scarcely touched in a few study, the corresponding comparative comprehensive analysis for the roofs has not been reported. Especially, the structural system of the roofs from that period needs more detailed investigation, as the number of authentic examples are gradually decreasing [12]. To make accurate evaluations for the Turkish wooden house architecture, it is important to exhibit the changes with influences and find out the preserved main classical features of this significant heritage.…”

The reflection of Newman's defensible space theory on Turkey's neighbourhoods: typomorphological analysis of safe-space within an analytical framework

“…Their function has become commercial and tourism instead of residential. Many studies (Koca and Karasozen, 2011;Kocabas ¸, 2006;Poyraz and G€ undo gan, 2014;Yagci and Mazlum, 2015) criticise their process of conservation and the techniques to preserve the historical texture. Therefore, Seyrancık Neighbourhood, located in the Mudurnu district of Bolu, was chosen for the Late Ottoman Empire Period.…”