Wooden Houses A | Kültürel Miras

Houses

Kayserili Ahmet Pasha Street No.7

The three-story timber house with a bay window, located opposite the Kayserili Ahmet Pasha Mansion, was built in the late 19th to early 20th century. Constructed with a timber frame on a masonry substructure, the building was used as a shop and residence in the 1970s. Having fallen into derelict and ruinous condition in the 2000s, it was restored by the IMM KUDEB between 2008 and 2011. It continues to serve as the service building of the Directorate for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage.

Kayserili Ahmet Pasha Mansion

Commissioned in the late 19th century by Kayserili Ahmet Pasha, the Minister of the Navy under Sultan Abdülaziz, the wooden mansion is the only monumental residential structure within the Süleymaniye World Heritage Site. Comprising harem and selamlık sections, it is distinguished by its architectural features, wooden details, cihannüma, garden layout, eclectic style, and unique painted decorations in brushwork and oil paint. Restored in 1987, the mansion was used by the Monuments Board, and in 2006 it was allocated to the IMM KUDEB Directorate. While under KUDEB, maintenance and repairs were carried out, and the ceiling and wall decorations were documented, cleaned, and conserved. Transferred to the General Directorate of Foundations in 2022, the building has remained without function since that date. Notably, the decision declaring the Historic Peninsula a “urban and historic conservation area” was taken in this mansion on July 12, 1995.

Kayserili Ahmet Pasha Street No.2-4

Located on the corner of Kayserili Ahmet Pasha Street and Kirazlı Mescit Street, the three-story timber building on a masonry basement was constructed in the late 19th to early 20th century. With its original wooden architectural details, façade composition, and ceiling decorations, it is one of the neighborhood’s characteristic structures. The upper floors were used as a residence until the 1990s, while the ground-floor shops continued operating until recently. Derelict since the 2000s, the building has now been restored.

İbadethane Street No.15

The three-story house with a stone ground floor and timber upper floors was built in the first half of the 20th century. Research conducted between 1977 and 1981 determined that the house was listed.

In the late 1970s, a family from Çankırı who had been tenants there for exactly 12 years was living in the house. The owners were residing in another dwelling in Zeyrek. Largely maintained by the tenant family, the wooden house was in quite good condition. The father worked at TEKEL, a five-minute walk away. His salary was not very high, but he had a steady job, regular income, and insurance. Because the house’s proximity to his workplace in Zeyrek and its low rent provided the basic prerequisites for the family’s livelihood, their interest in the preservation and upkeep of the house was correspondingly high. Today, however, the building is in ruins.

İbadethane Street No.32 (former door number)

The three-story house, with a brick ground floor and timber upper floors, was built no later than the first quarter of the 20th century. Research conducted between 1977 and 1981 determined that the house was occupied by tenants. There is a cistern at the rear.

Today, only parts of the brick facade walls at ground level remain standing. By the late 1970s, the entrance floor was uninhabitable. The mezzanine had been rented to several seasonal workers, and even the permanent residents of the house did not know their exact number. The large hall on the upper floor was used communally as a kitchen, study, and living room. The back wall of this room was partially damaged and roughly covered with plastic sheeting. None of the floor slabs or staircases on this level were sturdy enough to walk on safely. Two families—of three and six people—lived in two rooms on this floor.

The six-person family from Siirt moved into the house in the summer of 1979, paying 1,250 TL in rent, after the previous tenants relocated to an apartment on Karadeniz Avenue near Zeyrek. Because the residents could not agree on payments, there was no water in the house, and likely no electricity either.

Haydar Street No.24 (former door number)

The three-story timber residence was built in the first quarter of the 20th century. Research conducted between 1977 and 1981 determined that, although listed, the building was in poor condition at that time. Today, the structure has almost completely disappeared. At the rear, there is a dilapidated bathhouse belonging to the wooden residence.

Haydar Street No.37 (former door number)

The three-story residence, with a masonry ground floor and timber upper floors, was built in the first half of the 20th century. Research conducted between 1977 and 1981 determined that both the owner and tenants were residing in the building, and that the listed structure required repairs at the time. Today, only parts of the exterior walls of the masonry ground floor remain.

Zeyrek Avenue No.27 (former door number)

Located directly opposite the Şeyh Süleyman Mosque, the three-story timber residence was built no later than the first quarter of the 20th century. Research conducted between 1977 and 1981 determined that both the owner and tenants were living in the building, and that the listed structure was in poor condition at the time. The building has not survived to the present day.

The fact that homeowners occupied their own houses was not sufficient for the preservation of buildings in Zeyrek. Elderly residents—mostly elderly women—often lived alone and lacked the financial means to contribute to the upkeep of their homes; moreover, they no longer had the interest. All they could do was hope that as long as they lived, their houses would also stand. House number 27 was one such example.

Gülbahçe Street No.20

The four-story residence, with a brick ground floor and timber upper floors, was built no later than the first quarter of the 20th century. In the early 1980s, the building—then located at Güllübahçe Street No. 14—was relatively well preserved and housed 12 tenant families totaling 65 people.

An eight-person family had settled into four rooms on the second floor. One room served as the master bedroom for the eldest son and his wife, and another was also used as a bedroom. In the third and smallest room, four children slept; during the day, this same room functioned as the family’s living room. The largest room, the guest room, was used only when receiving visitors or for having photographs taken. When asked, “Is the small room you use as a living room sufficient for you?”, the whole family answered in unison: “Yes.”

Bıçakçı Çeşmesi Street No.22 (former door number)

The two-story timber residence was built no later than the first quarter of the 20th century. Research conducted between 1977 and 1981 determined that both the owner and tenants were residing in the building, and that the listed structure was in poor condition at that time. Located on Bıçakçı Çeşmesi Street—one of the most transformed streets in Zeyrek—the parcel where this house stood is now vacant.

Tirendaz Street No.9 (former door number)

The two-story timber house with a bay window, set atop a tall masonry basement of handmade brick, was built in the late 19th to early 20th century. According to old photographs and measured drawings, the building had an elevated entrance reached by a marble staircase. The basement facade was plastered, while the upper floors were clad in wood. Reflecting the architectural features of the typical traditional timber residential fabric, the house remained in use until the 1990s; it has not survived to the present day.

Onaltı Mart Şehitleri Avenue No.11

The four-story timber house with bay windows and a cihannüma, set on a masonry substructure, was built in the late 19th to early 20th century. Located adjacent to the Valens Aqueduct, the building in the 1990s still retained all its original wooden details—such as the wooden entrance door, windows, and under-sill ornaments—while its south side facade was clad with sheet metal. Having fallen into ruin and been rebuilt after 2008, the structure is now used as a workplace.

Yoğurtçuoğlu Street No.19 (former door number)

The three-story timber house with a bay window, set on a masonry basement, was built in the late 19th to early 20th century. Constructed in a row-house layout, it was separated from its neighbor by a handmade-brick fire wall. Its original wooden details—such as the wide eaves, projecting moldings, entrance door with a tall transom window, and double-hung sash windows in a paired arrangement—had been preserved. Repaired and maintained by the IMM KUDEB in the late 2000s, the building was demolished in 2023 and has not survived to the present day.

Kayserili Ahmet Pasha Street No.7

Kayserili Ahmet Pasha Mansion