The Seljuk Empire of Rum spanned the ancient trade routes of Anatolia, the camel trails along which the riches of Persia and China had been carried to the markets of Europe, and vice-versa.

With trade came wealth, so the Seljuk sultans and the grandees of the empire worked to encourage, increase and protect commerce by road. (more…)

The Seljuk Turks came to Anatolia in 1071 as conquerors from the Great Seljuk Empire in Iran. They brought with them the architecture of that country, but adapted it beautifully to the requirements of Anatolia.

THE ESSENCE OF SELJUK STYLE
The Seljuks of Rum built monumental stone buildings of elegantly simple design and harmonious proportion, for the most part severely plain, but with bursts of elaborate decoration around doorways. (more…)

WHAT IS A TURKISH HOUSE?

The Turkish house can be defined as those in which Turks have lived throughout their history. Since they first appeared on the stage of history, their settlements have been greatly diversified. They spread from Central Asia to the Balkans, from North Africa to Arabia and right up to the northern coast of the Black Sea, and founded a number of different states. In our definition of the Turkish house, we can include houses that were inherited from the Ottoman Empire, some remaining examples of which can be traced back to the 17th century, as well as all those which have the following characteristics:
Original room shape: The room is the most important component of the Turkish house. Its characteristics have rarely changed. (more…)

In their homeland in Central Asia, Turks lived in dome-like tents appropriate to their natural surroundings, and they were nomads. These tents later influenced Turkish architecture and ornamental arts.

At the time when the Seljuk Turks first came to Iran, they encountered an architecture based on old traditions. Integrating this with elements from their own traditions, the Seljuks produced new types of structures. The most important type of structure they formulated was the” medrese”. The first medresses (Muslim theological schools) were constructed in the 11th century by the famous minister Nizamülmülk, during the time of Alparslan and Melik Shah. The most important ones are the three government medresses in Nisabur, Tus and Baghdad and the Hargerd Medresse in Horasan. (more…)

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. (more…)

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. (more…)