Folk Architecture

Folk architecture is the living environment people have created for

themselves. We can define local architecture as an architecture formed
in the process of anonymous design which later becomes traditional
under the influence of various factors.

Local architecture is one of the most important sources of information

to allow us to understand and explain the ideas, views, traditions,
customs and belief systems, family and relationships and
neighbourhood relations of a community.

Official and monumental buildings are considered independent of local

architecture. However, such buildings as baths, fountains, coffee
houses, etc. are also included within the framework of local
architecture in Turkey.

 To examine local architecture, one must start with the natural and
social environment and the construction materials and techniques
of local architecture.

 Economic structure,

 Lifestyle,

 Standards of judgment

 Relations within the Family and with Relatives,

 Effects of customs, local rules, traditions and beliefs on

Architectural elements all need to be considered in the context of local

architecture. Local architecture has no monumental purpose; in other
words, structures are not built for the purpose of leaving a deliberate
trace behind them. Typical construction materials from the region in
question are used in local architecture. Therefore, similar buildings can
be seen in places which have similar regional conditions and geological
structures. The buildings that make up local architecture are built by
their owners or local artisans. Generally speaking, local architecture has
an anonymous structure. Thus, local architecture is also called
“Anonymous Architecture.”

A folklorist will look at a house within the framework of these criteria:

 The natural environment where it is constructed,

 Functions,

 Equipment, tools and construction materials used,

 Construction technique,

 Common practice and belief in the surrounding area.

 Unless there is a major change in economic and social structure,

local architecture remains unchanged for many years. Products of
local architecture which have not been created under a specific
project have specific, identifiable features in seven regions of
Anatolia.

The Ministry of Culture’s, Research and Development of Local Cultures

General Directorate has been carrying out studies in this field. Products
of local architecture have been documented with slides, and
construction techniques have been archived by examining their
functions and determining the degree of traditionality in discussions
with local craftsmen. Along with the changing cultural and social
structure, a rapid alteration has been observed in local architecture. In
order to survive, local architecture needs to be reinterpreted and
evaluated by ascribing new functions to it without contradicting its
main structural intentions and purposes. New buildings should be
created in order to meet the requirements of the changing cultural
structure, along with a response to traditional lifestyle. Local people
who are ill-informed about the beauty and nature of products of local
architecture have rapidly been pulling these buildings down and
constructing new buildings which are extremely unhealthy for
themselves. People need to be better informed on this subject. Man is
a whole together with his environment. Turkey has recently entered a
rapid urbanisation process, together with technological developments
and a changing cultural structure.

In order for buildings to be incorporated into this process, the

following are essential:

 Architects, scientists and researchers should have sufficient

knowledge of the social sciences,

 Works should be carried out with the assistance of folklorists,

starting from the planning phase right through to completion,

 For a correct and true interpretation of changing cultural

structures, folklorists and sociologists should make joint
evaluations and offer suggestions to architects, researchers and
scientists.
Example of folk architecture

Balıkesir

Balıkesir Edremit

Zonguldak Safranbolu
 Kayseri

Şanliurfa

Kahramanmaraş Tandir

Kahramannaraş: House made of sun-dried bricks

Kahramanmaraş Adirin Wooden House

Forms of Settlements in Folk Architecture
In the context of folk architecture, homes can be classified in two
groups; permanent and non-permanent.

Non-permanent homes are the houses on the high plateau, in which

family members live for one season with their animals.

Houses on the high plateaus are composed of two rooms; one for
people, the other for animals. These may have two storeys; the ground
floor is used for animals, and people live upstairs. In houses which have
only one floor, the rooms are built side-by-side.

The nature of the land determines the materials used in houses. In

mountainous areas, plateau houses are made of stone, and of wood in
forests.

Inside the plateau house, there is a place for the tripod and a large
couch for people to sit or sleep on. Apart from when feeding their
livestock and performing other such tasks, plateau people spend most
of their time in that single room.

Permanent homes are houses built near gardens or fields, where

people spend most of their lives except for their time on the plateaus.

Permanent homes differ from region to region, depending on the

materials used and ecological conditions.

In folk architecture, climate and natural resources determine the

materials used, and economic conditions determine the use that
houses are put to.
 While settlement is dispersed on mountainous terrain, it is much
more compact in villages in flat areas.

The following factors are taken into account when constructing a

house;

- It should be close to the fields,

- The ground must be healthy,
- Not to disturb the neighbours,
- It must be close to water resources and communications facilities,
- The house must be built facing south for easier lighting and heating,
- The house must be built towards Mecca.

In every region of Anatolia, foundations are laid on Fridays, digging

starts on the right side and the first blow with the pickax is struck by
the owner of the house.

When we examine folk architecture, we see that not only the houses
themselves but also secondary buildings near them have their own
characteristics.

These secondary buildings, which have facilitative functions in daily life,

differ from region to region. Economic conditions and climate
determine the construction techniques employed and the use these
buildings are put to.

Sheds, granaries, larders, haylofts and stables are all examples of

secondary buildings. The names and uses of these buildings differ from
region to regions. The buildings are built near the houses or else out in
the pastures.