The Path is Never Linear
Burdur, a small western Mediterranean town in Turkey is home to the Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (MAKÜ).
Kate Lynch, a guest lecturer at the university began photographing Burdur's older neighborhoods in 2013 but later included MAKÜ students. Using the reference book pictured below the students photographed Burdur's historic houses with their phones, cameras and iPads. While most students have visited the ancient ruins at nearby Sagalassos, many have never ventured into old Burdur which suffered a massive earthquake in 1914 and another in 1971. For several decades Burdur's culture and tourism office, Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Bilgi has been restoring the historic town core.
For an introduction on the characteristics of Ottoman houses please see Maurice Cerasi and for Le Corbusier's travels in Turkey and his interest in Ottoman-era houses, see https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/journey-east.
Burdur, a small western Mediterranean town in Turkey is home to the Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (MAKÜ).
Kate Lynch, a guest lecturer at the university began photographing Burdur's older neighborhoods in 2013 but later included MAKÜ students. Using the reference book pictured below the students photographed Burdur's historic houses with their phones, cameras and iPads. While most students have visited the ancient ruins at nearby Sagalassos, many have never ventured into old Burdur which suffered a massive earthquake in 1914 and another in 1971. For several decades Burdur's culture and tourism office, Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Bilgi has been restoring the historic town core.
For an introduction on the characteristics of Ottoman houses please see Maurice Cerasi and for Le Corbusier's travels in Turkey and his interest in Ottoman-era houses, see https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/journey-east.
Antalya, Isparta ve Burdur Evlerinde Cephe Biçimlenişi
(Design of the Houses of Antalya, Isparta and Burdur)
Suna ve İnan Kıraç Akdeniz Medeniyetleri Araştırma Enstitüsü (AKMED)
by Nur Urfalıoğlu
2010
Burdur section: Catalog numbers 101 to 131
Ilçe = district
Mahalle = neighborhood
Caddesi = avenue
Sokak = street
Çıkmazı = cul-de-sac
Catalog numbers for Burdur houses 101 to 131 from Antalya, Isparta ve Burdur Evlerinde Cephe Biçimlenişi
Cat. No. 101: Üçdibek Mahallesi Turhan Caddesi, House No. 23
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography: Mert Gül wıth assistance from Azmi Solakoğlu
Additional photography by Selvihan Atalan
According to Mert Gül, the green house, known as the Kınaytürk home, is located in an "empty neighborhood, on a silent street". It features a cikma, (protruding room), the upper story domestic space. At street level, the space is dedicated to the domestic utilitarian functions of cooking, washing, and gardening. Private gardens are often large enough to contain orchards of fruit and nut trees. There is a thriving walnut industry and Burdur is famous for its walnut paste, ceviz ezmesi.
(Design of the Houses of Antalya, Isparta and Burdur)
Suna ve İnan Kıraç Akdeniz Medeniyetleri Araştırma Enstitüsü (AKMED)
by Nur Urfalıoğlu
2010
Burdur section: Catalog numbers 101 to 131
Ilçe = district
Mahalle = neighborhood
Caddesi = avenue
Sokak = street
Çıkmazı = cul-de-sac
Catalog numbers for Burdur houses 101 to 131 from Antalya, Isparta ve Burdur Evlerinde Cephe Biçimlenişi
Cat. No. 101: Üçdibek Mahallesi Turhan Caddesi, House No. 23
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography: Mert Gül wıth assistance from Azmi Solakoğlu
Additional photography by Selvihan Atalan
According to Mert Gül, the green house, known as the Kınaytürk home, is located in an "empty neighborhood, on a silent street". It features a cikma, (protruding room), the upper story domestic space. At street level, the space is dedicated to the domestic utilitarian functions of cooking, washing, and gardening. Private gardens are often large enough to contain orchards of fruit and nut trees. There is a thriving walnut industry and Burdur is famous for its walnut paste, ceviz ezmesi.
Cat. No. 102: Üçdibek Mahallesi Develi Çıkmazı (dead end) House No. 2 Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district) Photography: Gülçin Bozer, Gülüz Demirel, Kezban Özkır, Tevhide Haymanal While the photos of No. 2 Develi Çıkmazı are low resolution, they give an impressionistic feeling to the historic Üçdibek neighborhood. House No. 2 has a fountain set between the entry steps. Gülçin Bozer, Gülüz Demirel, Kezban Özkır and Tevhide Haymanal also documented the surrounding area and photographed the long-time residents. |
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Cat. No. 103: Değirmen Mahallesi Divan Baba Caddesi
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Bakibey Konağı and Çelikbaşlar Konağı (also known as the Mehmet Akif Ersoy Culture House)
Photography: Landysh Nasikhova and Elif Nazan Altınten
Additional photography: Kate Lynch
The Bakibey House (or Koca Oda) was built in late 17th or early 18th century. The curator told us that caravans arriving from Antalya, the large Mediterranean port city south of Burdur, were required to stop here before proceeding into town or staying the night to rest the caravan. The colors used in the interior's decorative elements were made from root vegetable dyes. The larger Bakibey House overlooks the restored Çelikbaşlar House. also known as the Mehmet Akif Ersoy Culture House.
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Bakibey Konağı and Çelikbaşlar Konağı (also known as the Mehmet Akif Ersoy Culture House)
Photography: Landysh Nasikhova and Elif Nazan Altınten
Additional photography: Kate Lynch
The Bakibey House (or Koca Oda) was built in late 17th or early 18th century. The curator told us that caravans arriving from Antalya, the large Mediterranean port city south of Burdur, were required to stop here before proceeding into town or staying the night to rest the caravan. The colors used in the interior's decorative elements were made from root vegetable dyes. The larger Bakibey House overlooks the restored Çelikbaşlar House. also known as the Mehmet Akif Ersoy Culture House.
Cat. No. 104: Sinan Mahallesi
Veyis Sokak, House No. 3
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography: Ebru Mum
Ebru Mum attempted to interview the owner of this historic house but they were away so she interviewed a neighbor who told her it is about 150 years old. The upper floor has a projection (cikma) characteristic of Turkish houses. The ground floor of stone was previously whitewashed and the upper floor of wood, lathe and plaster was of a darker color. In the photos Ebru took in June, the mulberry tree is heavy with white berries, beyaz dut, about to tumble to the street. People shake them down into nets or climb a ladder to gather them. To the left of the door is a grape vine. The grapes may be harvested to make the popular condiment pekmez (grape molasses).
Cat. No. 105: Sinan Mahallesi Hacı Ömer Caddesi, House No. 1
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Hacı Talip Ağa House (or the Murtazaliler House)
Photography and research: Mehmet Furkan, Gürbüz Harun Orçan, Kadir Üzmen
Additional photos by Kate Lynch and Nazlı Çalış
According to Mehmet Furkan, Gürbüz Harun Orçan and Kadir Üzmen, the owner of the Hacı Talip Ağa House (or the Murtazaliler House) is Mrs. Sanem, a retired women from the finance office, now living in Ankara. The house is protected by the "head woman" of the quarter, a relative of Mrs. Sanem. According to her "the house may be over 200 years old and it is the only one in Burdur which has three floors. It was built by Konyalı Ali Usta." Of note are the roses cascading down one wall. While nearby Isparta is world renowned for its roses and rose of attar, Burdur also has a rose industry.
Cat. No. 106: Sinan Mahallesi Boyacıbaşı Sokak, House No. 25
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Not found
Students didn't locate House No. 25 on Boyacıbaşı Sokak, built in 1910 during the late Ottoman period, about a decade before the founding of the Turkish Republic. This drawing of Cat. No 106 is from Nur Urfalıoğlu's book,
Antalya, Isparta ve Burdur Evlerinde Cephe Biçimlenişi
(Design of Houses of Antalya, Isparta and Burdur)
which we used as our project's primary source.
Cat. No. 107: Sinan Mahallesi Turhan Caddesi, House No. 26
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography: Emine Hatun Bakkal and Nazlı Çalış
House No. 26 on Turhan advertises milk products by Bereket Süt (milk) Ürunleri. Because Mehmet Akif Ersoy University has a veterinary school many students would be well versed with the variety of yoğurt advertised here. Yoğurt is not only a Turkish word, it is a milk product of ancient Turkish origin. The first commercial yogurt was made in 1919 in Barcelona by Isaac Carasso, an émigré from Ottoman Salonika. He named his product Danone ("little Daniel") after his son. Daniel later brought the product to the Bronx in New York City in the 1940s where he re-branded it as Dannon. In 2009 Daniel Carasso died at age 103 in Paris.
Cat. No. 108: Sinan Mahallesi Veyis Sokak No. 18
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Taş Oda Konağı
Photography and research: Landysh Nasikhova and Elif Nazan Altınten
Additional photography by Kate Lynch and Nazlı Çalış
Taş Oda (stone room) is a late 17th or early 18th century mansion not far from the Bakibey mansion on the opposite side of the channel (former river running through Burdur). According to the information posted at Taş Oda, it was once the private dwelling of Emin Bey. After the 1988 restoration the government deeded it to Mehmet Akif Ersoy University. This mansion is composed of a stone base of "a cutting travertine stone called Kefeki" while the upper level is of mud brick and wood. Traditional Turkish breakfast is served in the stone room and on the patio. For more information on Taş Oda and Bakibey mansions please see the Turkish Cultural Foundation.
Cat. No. 109: Burç Mahallesi
Hükümet Caddesi, House No. 25
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography: Murat Ince
Students didn't cover House No. 25 Hükümet Street
due to the discrepancy between the
reference map and the house number.
However, based on the archival
photograph and address it must be the restored,
white house next door to the one Murat Ince
photographed for Cat. 120.
Cat. No. 112: Burç Mahallesi Kahya Sokak, House No.1
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography: Nazlı Kaplan and Zeynep Teksar
Research: Şehri Aslan and Fatma Erdoğan
Şehri Aslan and Fatma Erdoğan went to No. 1 Kahya Sokak (street) twice but finding nobody at home they went to the executive officer of the Burç district and asked him about the building. The officer said that the house was erected between 100 and 150 years ago by the Rum (Ottoman Greeks). Later it was bought by the grandfather of a mayor of Burdur, Zeynel Abidin Tonguç who later deeded it to the mayor. The building was severely damaged in the 1971 earthquake when it lost some of its unique characteristics, such as the original stone foundation which had to be replaced in the restoration.
Cat. No. 113: Burç Mahallesi Hükümet Caddesi, House No. 16
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography and research: Huri Maydan
Additional photography: Cengiz Kolukısa
The owner Mehmet Özkaya said “this house was built in 1920 and in the past a mayor lived here and other esteemed people."
Cat. No. 114: Burç Mahallesi
Hükümet Caddesi, Door Nos. 7--9 Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district) Photography and research: Nilüfer Işık This Hükümet Street building has commercial tenants hoping to entice students who may drift up from the main street to go to the Ozmanli (Ottoman) Cafe and Bistro or to the video store. |
Cat. No. 115: Burç Mahallesi Hükümet Caddesi,
House No. 12 Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district) Photography and research: Harun Ziya Uçar and Nilüfer Işık Harun Ziya Uçar said that House No. 12 on Hükümet "was built nearly 90 years ago and was the property of Mr. Şallılar who later gave it to his son as a gift. Before the son died about 30 years ago, he also gave the house to somebody. It was restored four years ago. |
Cat. No. 116: Burç Mahallesi Hükümet Caddesi, House No. 22
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography and research: Sibel Yılmaz
Sibel Yılmaz learned that this building may be about 100 years old. An owner named Mr. Hacısalihler passed the building on to his son who ended up handing it over to the municipality. The renovation was completed in 2014 and the Burdur Bar Association (Burdur Barosu Avocat Evi) the new occupant had its opening ceremony in September.
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography and research: Sibel Yılmaz
Sibel Yılmaz learned that this building may be about 100 years old. An owner named Mr. Hacısalihler passed the building on to his son who ended up handing it over to the municipality. The renovation was completed in 2014 and the Burdur Bar Association (Burdur Barosu Avocat Evi) the new occupant had its opening ceremony in September.
Cat. No. 117: Burç Mahallesi Hükümet Caddesi, House No. 24
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography and research: Kate Lynch and Onurhan Şengül
This building, like others on Hükümet, is being restored by the Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı (Ministry of Culture and Tourism).
Cat. No. 118: Burç Mahallesi Hükümet Caddesi, House No. 14
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
From a fragment of the photo from Cat. No. 115 photographed by Harun Ziya Uçar
Nobody covered this one-story white house to the left of the green house covered by Harun Ziya Uçar from Cat. No. 115.
Cat. No. 119: Burç Mahallesi Çinger Sokak, House No. 16 (listed as 18 in our reference book)
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography: Cengiz Kolukısa, Kate Lynch and Mustafa Karaton
Research: Cengiz Kolukisa, Safiye Sarı and Gözde Kurtulan
House No. 16 Çinger Sokak (street) built in 1933, a decade after the founding of the Turkish Republic has features in common with older Turkish houses such as the cikma (protruding upper story room) and a walled garden. The classic features of the old Turkish house disappeared once it became legal to build apartment buildings of five floors. According to Cengiz Kolukısa, Safiye Sarı and Gözde Kurtulan, No. 16 Çinger Sokak is owned by a family who resides in Germany. The family uses their Burdur house as their summer residence.
Cat. No. 120: Burç Mahallesi Hükümet Caddesi, House No. 27
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography and research: Murat Ince
Additional photography: Abdulkadir Gümüş
Murat Ince learned that the residents of No. 27 Hükümet live in Istanbul. Murat used his iPad to photograph the street view of the tall stone house with the four arched windows. The arched entry door is located to the side of the house where a second floor looks like an addition.
Cat. No. 121: Burç Mahallesi Çinger Sokak,, House No. 24
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography: Kate Lynch
Option 1
House No. 24 Çinger was never located. The house was either demolished or it may have collapsed at this corner. The remnants of the brick wall and wood lathe clinging to the still-standing house would make a perfect project for London-based artist Rachel Whiteread ("House" 1993).
Cat. No. 123: Sakarya Mahallesi Burç Sokak, House No.20 ( No. 18 in the reference book) Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district) Photography: Emine Hatun Bakkal and Nazlı Çalış Emine Hatun Bakkal and Nazlı Çalış found House No. 20 Burç Street, a large, bright pink house with white filigree trim. The original double door of hard wood has been replaces with a metal door. This house can be seen at the bottom of an EU report on Burdur's houses: MEDA Programme of the European Union. |
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Cat. No. 124: Sakarya Mahallesi Burç Sokak, House No. 4
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography: Sevim Peker and Raif Yeşil
Sevim Peker and Raif Yeşil said that they found this house with the help of a friendly Burdur man named Ahmet. He explained that houses like No. 4 Burç are often abandoned because their owners have gone abroad or moved to a Turkish city. This house was in good condition in the archival photograph. Another factor in the condition of the house may be the 1971 earthquake which damaged Burdur to a lesser extent than the massive earthquake of 1914.
Uncatalogued: Sakarya Mahallasi Oluklaralti Cad, House No. 3/A Ilçe: Merkez Photography: Sadik Karadoğan and Emre Çetinkaya Emre and Sadik visited Ahmet Amca who lives next door to the Piribaşlar House. Ahmet told them that he bought the house in 1995 and that it was restored by the municipality. An elderly neighbor told Ahmet that the Kurdish religious scholar, Badiuzzeman Said Nursi (1877-1960) lived in the house during his exile in Burdur, He arrived in 1925 in June during mulberry season. In Burdur he associated with the Hacı Abdullah Cami (mosque) now undergoing restoration in the Yeni Mah. ("New" neighborhood). |
Cat. No. 125: Sakarya Mahallesi
Oluklaralti Caddesi, House No. 6 Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district) Mısırlılar Evi (Egypt House) Photography: Gökhan Özmen & Yıldız Erçin The Mısırlılar Evi (Egypt House) also known as the ‘Hinnaplı Ev’ is located on one of Burdur's main avenues. It is owned by the municipality and used for special events. Because students had difficulty gaining access to it they visited the more accessible Piribaşlar House across the street. |
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Cat. No. 126: Sakarya Mahallesi Antalya Cadessi, House No. 8
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography: Emre Pak
Photography and research: Merve Dağıstan, Fadime Dazanci and Yunus Emre Büte
Piribaşlar Evi (House)
Merve Dağıstan, Fadime Dazanci and Yunus Emre Büte visited this beautifully restored house several times, both during the day and at night. They also took a tour of the house which is dedicated to preserving and teaching Burdur's musical and artisanal culture, particularly copper working and alaca weaving. Across the street is the restored Egypt House making this one of the most beautiful corners in Burdur. In its former life this large house provided ample living quarters for all three generations of the Piribaş family living under its roof.
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography: Emre Pak
Photography and research: Merve Dağıstan, Fadime Dazanci and Yunus Emre Büte
Piribaşlar Evi (House)
Merve Dağıstan, Fadime Dazanci and Yunus Emre Büte visited this beautifully restored house several times, both during the day and at night. They also took a tour of the house which is dedicated to preserving and teaching Burdur's musical and artisanal culture, particularly copper working and alaca weaving. Across the street is the restored Egypt House making this one of the most beautiful corners in Burdur. In its former life this large house provided ample living quarters for all three generations of the Piribaş family living under its roof.
Cat. No. 127: Pazar Mahallesi
Şekerci Sokak, House No. 8
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative)
Photography and research: Dilsher Mohammed and Nilgün Karakuz
Additional photography: Fatih Çaylan
Dilsher Mohammed and Nilgün Karakuz visited two adjacent houses on Şekerci Street but only No. 8 has been renovated so far. Nilgün attempted to interview the family here but only learned that its occupant is a Burdur tradesman and his family.
The old Pazar (market) district is centered around the 14th century Ulu Cami (Great Mosque) at the pinnacle of old town.
Cat. No. 128: Pazar Mahallesi Şekerci Sokak, House No.6
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography and research: Dilsher Mohammed and Nilgün Karakuz
Dilsher Mohammed and Nilgün Karakuz visited the vacant house next to the restored one on the corner where they met a local resident who told them that he was 70-years old and that House No. 6 Şekerci was about 60 years old. They learned that like other old Burdur houses, there is an owner who lives in Germany and up to 15 years ago the owner's sister had been living in it. Dilsher and Nilgün found an electric bill by the faded doorway as if waiting in expectation of the owner's return.
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography and research: Dilsher Mohammed and Nilgün Karakuz
Dilsher Mohammed and Nilgün Karakuz visited the vacant house next to the restored one on the corner where they met a local resident who told them that he was 70-years old and that House No. 6 Şekerci was about 60 years old. They learned that like other old Burdur houses, there is an owner who lives in Germany and up to 15 years ago the owner's sister had been living in it. Dilsher and Nilgün found an electric bill by the faded doorway as if waiting in expectation of the owner's return.
Cat. No. 129: Pazar Mahallesi Şekerci Sokak, House No.2
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography: Ibrahim Yılmaz and Kate Lynch
Research: Fatih Taş, Sphesihle Shandu, Yasin Yılmaz
Fatih Taş, Sphesihle Shandu and Yasin Yılmaz visited the vacant building and met somebody nearby with "knowledge of the house" who lived in it during the 1970s. The former occupant told them that, "the house is about 100 years old but nobody knows for sure. It has traditional Ottoman motifs from the end of that era and it is good the building is still standing. The last person who lived in it left about three years ago. The municipality should restore the building. We shouldn't lose these old buildings, they are part of our culture and we should preserve them and take care of them." Ibrahim Yılmaz who photographed the house said he heard that it has been vacant for years. Across the street is a very old fountain, the early 16th century Çeşmedamı Çeşmesi (cesme=fountain).
Cat. No. 130: Zafer Mahallesi Ince Sokak, House No.18
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography: Mustafa Karaton
Additional phot0graphy and research by: Emine Güven, Hümeyra Kılıç, Nevin Toker Ozdemir, Kate Lynch and Onurhan Şengül
No. 18, Ince Street was built in 1905 by a Burdur Rum (Greek Orthodox) family. We know this from the Greek inscription above the entry door, "1905, October 29". Hüsyin Şencal introduced us to Özdemir Özsarı who shared his personal connection to this house. As a result of the 1924 Greek-Turkish population exchange, Özdemir's parents occupied the vacated Rum house after they were evacuated from their home in Salonika.
Özdemir said that he was born in the Burdur house in the neighborhood once known as the Eski Yunan Mahallesi (old Greek neighborhood) and that he remembers the house as being small but with such high ceilings it was difficult to heat. Özdemir recalled his parents' stories of the hardship suffered in Salonika and the difficulty faced in Burdur as Greek speaking Muslims. Özdemir was anxious to show us the fine, decorative wood ceiling in one of those rooms with the high-ceilings but to our regret we learned during our visit that the carved-wood ceiling is gone.
We begin at the recently restored Kavaklı Rum Kilisesi (Greek Orthodox church) which is now Burdur's natural history museum, Doğa Tarihi Müzesi . The local Armenian church Surb Astvatsatsin (Meryem Ana kilisesi or The Virgin Mary church) no longer exists. The Kavaklı quarter was renamed Zafer (victory) after Turkey's War of Independence (1919--1922) and the subsequent founding of the Turkish Republic on October 29, 1923.
Cat. No. 131: Zafer Mahallesi Ulus Sokak, House No.16
Ilçe: Merkez (Administrative district)
Photography: Ülkü Nur Karaman
Additional photography: Kate Lynch
House No. 16, Ulus Street is near the restored former Greek church pictured above. We were told by Hüsyin Şencal, a long-time Burdur resident that the three-part building was inhabited by Greeks before the 1924 population exchange. Ulus (nation) Street runs from the former Greek quarter towards the busy town center at Cumhuriyet (Republic) Avenue.
ULU CAMI (Grand Mosque)
Pazar Mahallesi (Market District) Photography and research: Nermin Kavas Sert, Emine Kaya, Zehra Uysal, and Esra Inci Nermin Kavas Sert suggested we include The Ulu Cami (Great Mosque). The Ulu Cami and Burdur's clock tower dominate the old Pazar district at the top of the hill overlooking modern Burdur. The mosque's Imam, Halil Ozel who cordially welcomed them explained that the mosque is Hamitoğulları-era architecture and that Feleküddin Dündar Bey commissioned it in the late 13th century. It was destroyed in the 1914 earthquake and rebuilt in 1930. |
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The centrality of the Ulu Cami to the formation of the historic town core is well described in an EU report on Burdur's houses,
(MEDA Programme of the European Union).
"The authentic civil architecture of Burdur started to join up with the old city centre as it progressed around the core monument, the Ulucami, in the 19th century. The traditional buildings are therefore densely built around the Ulucami and the clocktower. Both the monuments and the civil architecture retain their original functions and typical features. In f act, the 19th century city was formed around the mosque on the hilltop and Kavakli church on the plain. In these areas, the modern constructions are not yet built up. As a result of these factors, the authentic street lay out has been preserved."
(MEDA Programme of the European Union).
"The authentic civil architecture of Burdur started to join up with the old city centre as it progressed around the core monument, the Ulucami, in the 19th century. The traditional buildings are therefore densely built around the Ulucami and the clocktower. Both the monuments and the civil architecture retain their original functions and typical features. In f act, the 19th century city was formed around the mosque on the hilltop and Kavakli church on the plain. In these areas, the modern constructions are not yet built up. As a result of these factors, the authentic street lay out has been preserved."