Wood is among the most widely used construction materials in Anatolian traditional rural architecture and many different timber construction techniques can be seen in the vernacular structures of today’s Anatolia. One example of Anatolian rural architecture is a type of granary, or what is known as serender in the Eastern Black Sea Region. This structure occupies a significant place in the cultural heritage of Anatolia. Reflecting the richness of Anatolian culture and architecture, each of these buildings is an important part of the culture of Anatolian timber construction. The layout of the wooden granary structure that is referred to as serender in this article and its construction technique, design, structural particularities and decorative features will be described here in an effort to provide documentation for these buildings, which represent the legacy of timber rural architecture that should be passed on to posterity.

The Master Ottoman Architect Sinan, known as Mimar Sinan, produced numerous works of different character, among these, mosques, madrasahs, masjids (prayer rooms), khans (inns), caravanserais, covered bazaars, hammams (bath-houses), darüşşifa (hospitals), imarets (hospices), darülkurra (Koranic schools), sibyan mektebi (primary schools), tekke (lodges), waterways, aqueducts, fountains and palaces. Sinan is an architect that imprinted his mark upon his era by not repeating himself in any of the structures he created. Appointed the head of the Sultan's Society of Architects in 1538, Sinan created a great number of architectural works. Throughout the years of his long career in Ottoman architecture, in which time he produced an expansive typology of works, Architect Sinan also made a major contribution to urban planning. As Chief Architect, Sinan was responsible for many urban activities having to do with wastewater, fire prevention and the repair of many public buildings in Istanbul. Although documentation pertaining to Sinan's concept of the urban environment is scant, an analysis of all his structures suggests the existence of a delicate notion of city planning. Looking into the placement of the structures, their functional distribution within the city, the special roles they play in the general urban landscape, as well as their relationships to each other, it is not difficult to witness the rational conceptualization of a city. This article will attempt to examine the works of Architect Sinan in terms of his perspective on kulliye architecture, analyzing the contributions he made to these structures within the urban fabric, and to review his major kulliyes as intrinsic parts of the entirety of the city.

The traditional houses of the East Anatolian Region were basically a product of climatic conditions. The types of houses here reflect the region’s climatic conditions and display the same type of design in both urban and rural settlements. In response to the region’s long and severe winters, houses were kept closed to the outside, having thick walls, small windows with open and semi-open spaces (gardens, courtyards, sofas) that were also kept small. The kitchen was the throbbing heart of the house and the main element of design in its plan was a tandoor, in front of which the whole family assembled. The interior design of this space, with its corbelled roof of wood (locally called “kırlangıç roof or tüteklikli roof” was the most characteristic element of the houses. The aim of this article is to present the traditional residential architecture of the East Anatolian Region and the kitchen that characterizes it, as well as introduce the most unique part of the kitchen–the lantern roof (locally, the kırlangıç roof or the tüteklikli roof)–by offering examples to be found in the district of Gümüşdamla (formerly Zargıdı), Aydıntepe, in the province of Bayburt, one of the main cities of the region.

The works of the Ottoman Empire?s Master Architect Sinan that he attached great importance to and produced the greatest in number were mosques. Mimar Sinan made use of multiple-support systems such as 4, 6 and 8-baldachins in his domed structures, planning the layouts of his domed buildings around the framework of these systems. In this article, five of Mimar Sinan?s square baldachin, singledomed mosques (Edirnekap? Mihrimah Sultan, Zal Mahmut Pasha, L?leburgaz Sokullu Mehmet Pasha, Fatih Bali Pasha and Manisa Muradiye) are selected, aiming to present an essay on the observed influence of Byzantine architecture in the domed square-baldachin and adjacent spaces that form the main area of these buildings.

Teke Peninsula, known in the Age of Antiquity as Lycia, was a land of fertile plains and the scene of many settlements that contained storage areas bearing evidence of agricultural production dating to the Neolithic Era. Among the most important witnesses to the past production of the region are the wooden granaries that are still being used today. They are a manifestation of the area’s rich agricultural production and at the same time, a reflection of the wealth of its wooden architecture. The main aim of this article is to describe the architectural design and structural details of the wooden granaries of the Teke Peninsula, known as Lycia in the Age of Antiquity. The information provided can thus be transferred to future generations as documentation of the history of agricultural production in Anatolia and of the wealth of wooden architecture that displays firm ties to the past.

The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are known as the Westernization Period of Ottoman architecture. As in all the various types of structures built in this period, the Western influence is also seen in residential architecture. During this period, the Neo-Baroque, Neo-Gothic, Neo- Classic, Orientalism, Eclecticism, Art Nouveau, Swiss Chalet and English Victorian styles, as well as other European-based architectural movements exerted a definitive effect on Ottoman architecture, producing a rich diversity of styles as a result. One of the styles that was generally implemented by foreign architects was Art Nouveau. The most powerful representative of Art Nouveau in Ottoman architecture was Raimondo D’Aronco. The aim of this article is to discuss the influence on residential architecture of the Art Nouveau style that came to dominate Ottoman architecture from 1893, as seen in the designs of Raimondo D’Aronco.