A History of Kitchen Furnishing, Erzurum, Turkey

Transcription

Seçil ŞATIR
[email protected]
Oya KARABEKİR
[email protected]
Zeynep KARABEKİR
[email protected]
The Erzurum house is a synthesis of Central Asian Turkish culture, and one of the geographical and cultural characteristics
of Anatolia. It is generally accessed through a court. The kitchen is situated on the ground floor. In ancient Anatolian
architecture dating from prehistoric times the coexistence of washing and laundry rooms and kitchen reflect a rich past.
Throughout Anatolia the hearth is a significant element of the traditional Turkish kitchen. In Turkish houses in Anatolia,
except those of Erzurum, the kitchen ranks behind hall and rooms in importance; however, severe and long winters in
Erzurum have dictated an interior-centered architecture. Thus a plan without a hall, but with an inner court and “tandırevı”
has emerged. The Erzurum kitchen has a dome-like ceiling known as a “kirlangic (dovetail) dome ceiling.” This type of dome
is known to be related to Turkish “otag” or tents, and the traditional Turkish “round tent” house. Moreover cosmic beliefs
are known to play a part in such construction. The recognition of this local yet very interesting space and its furnishings of
Turkish culture on the international design platform serves to stimulate awareness of design and culture.
Keywords: Old Erzurum Kitchens, Dovetail ceiling construction, Seki (raised platform), Terek (shelves)
product on the international design platform and to
strengthen the respect for local cultures and
Introduction
products by the design community; this will also
contribute to the conception and realization of new
Erzurum, a city in Northeastern Turkey which lays
products.
on the Silk Road, has developed its own traditional
architectural form owing to its location in quite a
cold
region
with
long
winters.
From this
perspective the Erzurum kitchen differs from the
The roots of fhe Turkish house and its general
traditions of other Turkish houses and has, through
caracteristics
the centuries, lent itself to the development of
many characteristics unlike those of other cities.
The oldest shelter in Central Asian culture as used
These characteristics and differences, and the
by Turks is the tent, especially the most practical
reasons for them are discussed and described, with
and widely used round tent. The round tent was a
comparisons of typical features. The objective is to
round portable house, which has a practical
ensure the recognition of this authentic cultural
dome-shaped roof, made of laths, which, placed
Design Discourse vol.1 no.1, January 2005
44
Şatır, Karabekir and Karabekir
diagonally, also form a portative wall around the
cold, and this also provided external security for
house. All the furniture used in the round tent
the house. Next in importance to the court were the
consisted of practical objects suitable for carrying
rooms of the house. The houses had a living room,
on horseback. Art historians usually claim that the
a hall, food store room and a stable.”
3
dome-shaped tombs (kümbet) found in Turkistan
and Anatolia derived from the shapes of old
In his book entitled The Migration of Altay-Iran
Turkish tents such as the round tent. Houses used
Tribes Strzygowski writes of the impact of Turkish
for worship or as mortuaries in the Tarım Region
art upon Islamic art and says also that the Iranians
in the south of Eastern Turkistan, populated
made
principally by Uygurs, also used to be built on the
accomplishments in Islamic art, especially in the
model of the traditional tents. In death rites the
plastic arts; concluding that the Mediterranean and
dead person was always kept in a tent and a
consequently European art did not have any
ceremony offering sacrifice was held.
1
a
major
contribution
to
Arab
definitive influence on Turkish Islamic art.
The roofs of old Turkish tents symbolized the sky;
“Turkish art dates back to a distant past. Neither
cosmic beliefs inspiring the dome shape. The
Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt and ancient Anatolia nor
hearth was situated in the center of the tent that
Byzantium could alter the essence of the Turkish
was synonymous with the house for the Turks. In a
art,” he says.
section on the right, partitioned off by a suitable
architecture, drawing on this deep-rooted past,
element, foodstuffs such as kumiss in skins and
were carried wherever the Turkish people migrated,
other provisions were kept. Right next to this
and originated in their way of life and beliefs.
4
Turkish art and particularly
section the oldest member of the household had his
bed on a wooden platform. Opposite the entrance
The Turkish house reached its most developed
and behind the hearth was a storage area called
stage with its typical characteristics in Anatolia
yüklük where all the mattresses were stacked.
after the arrival in 1071 of the Turks in Anatolia
Harnesses were stored to the left of the entrance. If
and their subsequent settlement throughout the
a daughter-in-law also lived in the household then
area. From the 15th century on the Turkish house
the son and his bride had their beds spread in this
replaced other types and reached its most
part.
2
In Ottoman times army encampments
influential stage in the 17th and 18th centuries. It
included special tents housing kitchens, baths,
became the principle style of house in the Balkans.
lavatories, stables and prison cells, and the sultan's
tent was in the shape of a large room hung with
“The principal element linking different types of
valuable fabrics and furnished with portable carved
Turkish houses to one another is its plan. The
sofas with collapsible sides.
structure, nature and the integrity of a house are
embodied in its plan; its economical and social
Knowledge about the architectural tradition of
status are also reflected in the plan. In this respect
Central Asian Turks relating to houses other than
the first task to be taken up in the study of a house
tents is available from Uygur houses and wall
type is its plan.”5
frescos. Bahattin Ögel mentions that most Uygur
houses had a court like those of the Southern
The rooms in the plan of Turkish house open onto
Anatolian houses: “The rooms were situated
a hall that is used as a common space and also for
around a court; so protecting them from heat and
passage; it is a place where the household gathers,
45
and wedding ceremonies, entertainments etc. are
arranged in small units to make room for the new
held. The hall has an eyvan [recess] for sitting,
couples. The fact that entrance to Turkish house is
with seats supported on consoles, which extend
through a court ensures the security of the house as
from the facade of the house, or seats on a platform
well as leaving behind the dirt of the street in the
raised a few steps from floor level. The plan types
court, for shoes are taken off in the court and house
of the Turkish houses are classified as A-plan with
members wear slippers of their own. Wooden
no hall, B-plan with outer hall, C-plan with inner
slippers (takunya) placed in lavatories in the court
6
hall, and D-plan with central hall. These plans
serve to ensure cleanliness. The Turkish room has
need to be described for an understanding of the
no movable furniture. All furniture is designed and
comparison with the Erzurum kitchen, the typical
produced as an integral part of the walls of the
differences and consequently the arrangement of
room.
furniture and other objects used in the Turkish
house. Some house plans may also exist which do
Archeologist Mahmut Akok describes the classical
not fall into this classification. With the adoption
Ankara Turkish house and rooms as follows: ”...
of Islam the main living rooms in Turkish houses
the architecture dictates that each room has a
were
(private
built-in fireplace, usually made of gypsum. Big
apartments) and selamlık (public apartments), and
rooms have entrance areas consisting of what are
these two-or three-storey houses look plain and
called “safnail” posts with arches and railings;
unpretentious from the outside. Turkish houses
some rooms have entrances with wooden panel
reflect a family-centered way of living; they have
windscreens whose interior faces are embellished
wide overhanging eaves (saçak), doors and
to blend with the decoration of the room. The
windows of proportionate dimensions, and bay
rooms have divans [sedir] constructed near the
windows relating with the street. Living spaces and
fireplace and along the two side walls. Most rooms
bedrooms are on the upper floors, while stables,
have closets and niches embedded in thick walls.
food store, kitchen and other service sections are
These are the main elements imparting liveliness to
on the ground floor. Wooden stairs lead to the
the room. Lower floors are assigned to the stable,
upper floors.
other household needs and food storage. The
divided
into
the
haremlik
ceilings of the lower floors are lower than those of
the upper floors. Closets and mattress storage
spaces are larger. The lavatories are in the outer
The rooms in the Turkish house
court.”7
The rooms in the Turkish house entail an
From the standpoint of the art of construction the
understanding
Turkish house takes the middle position between
of
traditional
Turkish
family
structure, which in Erzurum is comprised of
architecture
parents, married son and daughter-in-law, their
incorporates cupboards, raised platforms (seki),
children, and unmarried children. The son usually
shelves (terek), niches and built-in furniture. In this
works in his father’s business and shares the same
regard describing the traditional Turkish house is
house, so achieving economy. When the son
equivalent to describing the furniture in the house.
marries, his bride moves into the same house and a
Generally speaking, the wall where the door is
room is assigned to the married couple. When
situated or the wall of the room next to the door is
more sons get married the interior of the house is
like the wall of a closet. The door opens into the
and
product
design,
since
it
46
depth of the closet and therefore, when opened, it
wrote in his Seyahatname that inside the fort of the
is embedded without occupying open space. The
city, which had two iron gates (the Georgian and
closets are designed to accommodate a bath cabin
Erzincan gates) there were 1700 houses.8
and cupboards for mattresses and the personal
belongings of the persons living in the room.
Erzurum has severe and long winters with snow
Washing and water are a very important part of
and freezing temperatures. The summer is short,
Turkish tradition. Because there was no plumbing,
lasting only through July and August. Erzurum is
hot water used to be carried in buckets, and people
located in a terrain of rocky outcrops and young
washed in the bath cabin. In Erzurum the main
alluvium in a volcanic region that lies on an
bath, in addition to the private bathing closets in
earthquake fault line. Volcanic rock and stone
the rooms, is like a trench housing a bathtub in the
were used as building materials for the old houses
kitchen, and covered by a lid in the floor.
of the city. Linking Asia with Europe and lying on
the Silk Road, Erzurum played an important
Since a fireplace was a necessity in each room,
historical role politically, culturally and militarily.
magnificent fireplaces were sometimes built in the
Its economy was always brisk.
center of the wall with fitted closets, like those in
Safranbolu houses. The fireplace occupied a
Situated as it is in eastern Turkey, Erzurum has
conspicuous location in the room. All rooms in
always been receptive to Eastern and Central Asian
Erzurum houses have the same characteristics.
cultures. It is a city which, like other Eastern
Because Erzurum is located in a very cold region
Anatolian cities, has been influenced most by
all doors and windows are double. The doors are
Central Asian Turkish culture in terms of
covered with felt on the inside to insulate them
architecture, handicrafts such as tapestry, kilims,
from cold. The rooms in the Turkish house are
fabric weaving and embroidery, leatherwork,
multi-purpose just like the round tent; when
metalwork, ceramics etc.
necessary serving as a dining room or guest room.
At bedtime mattresses and pillows are taken from
Erzurum houses have developed their typical
the closet and spread on the floor. All of a sudden
characteristics to cope with the extremely cold,
the room has become a bedroom. All things can be
snowy and icy climate conditions during winter.
removed from sight and stored away in the built-in
The natural morphology of the region has made
closets and niches.
stone the most widely used construction material,
followed by brick and adobe. Basalt, limestone and
sandstone are the mostly extensively used stone
types in the region. Cut stone is used at structural
Typical characteristics of the Erzurum house
corners and rubble for other parts of the buildings.
Soil in the region is suitable for making brick and
Erzurum was settled by the Byzantines circa 415
is therefore used as a building material. Soil is
AD, although the region has a deep-rooted culture
used both for making adobe, which forms the
dating back to 4000 BC. Erzurum was occupied in
binding elements for the walls and as roof cover.
turn by Byzantines, by indigenous peoples of
Wood, which forms the skeleton of most houses in
Anatolia, Iranians, Seljuk Turks, Mongolians,
Anatolia, is used for house elements such as beams
Ilkhanids, and finally by the Ottomans. Evliya
that separate the storeys, door and window frames,
Celebi, who was a customs clerk in Erzurum,
flooring, ceiling, staircases and closets. Door and
47
window accessories include hinges, studs, lock
entrance leads to the kitchen and the stable, hay
mechanisms etc. Erzurum houses adjoin each other
store, lavatory, the rooms on the same floor or to
and are two-storeyed; they do not fit the traditional
upper floors via stairs; and the same routing role
plan of the Turkish house because the plans of
applies to the kitchen. In Erzurum the kitchen is
houses other than kitchens do not have any strict
called
requirements; in general Erzurum houses have
(tandırevi) named after the pit oven known as
specific characteristics as necessitated by severe
tandır. Most activities took place in the kitchens.
climatic conditions and by the need to utilize small
The house had a sacred meaning, so calling the
and
possess
kitchen the “house” imparted great importance to it.
characteristics reflecting the traditional Turkish
“Kitchens [tandırevleri] are multi-purpose places
house and way of living, and creating separate
where activities such as baking bread, sitting,
space such as haremlik and selamlık. The greatest
resting, sleeping, eating and receiving guests take
divergence from the traditional houses is the
place.”10. The kitchens have dome-shaped ceilings,
structural characteristics and features adapted to
and the walls have no windows, and are on average
the long cold winters. The kitchen is central to the
5-6 m high. The only source of illumination is a 30
plan of the Erzurum house. The Erzurum house
x 30cm aperture in the ceiling. Light rays are
and its kitchen are unique in that the court and the
transmitted by a prism-shaped glass frame called a
kitchen are the central elements in a plan type,
çakçavi.
irregular
lots,
although
they
the “house” (ev) or "tandır house"
which is most suitable for a cold climate.
The kitchen in the Erzurum house
The house-kitchen relation in most areas of Turkey
is different from that in Erzurum. “A study of old
Greek houses in Yeni Foça on the Aegean coast
showed separate places for the kitchen and the bath
in the house. In 56 of the 66 houses researched the
kitchen is in the house. In 10 of them the kitchen is
outside, at entrance areas such as under the
Figure 1. Section of the kitchen
11
staircases or in the garden.”9 The kitchen is in the
garden in most of the waterfront houses (yalı) in
Istanbul. In Manisa and Bodrum in Western
Anatolia, kitchens are located in the court. In the
Southeastern province of Adıyaman, kitchens may
be either inside the house or in the court. Nowhere
in Turkey have kitchens influenced the plan and
lifestyle of the house as they have done in Erzurum.
The kitchen is the most important and central part
of the house. The court and the kitchen provide
access to other parts of the house, the court at the
48
Figure 2. Kirlangic ceiling, Somunoglu House
12
Figure
3. Ceiling in a Buddhist grotto,
Afghanistan
14
The tandırevi measures approximately 8m by 9m.
The floor is stone and there is a water drain at the
Tandır: the tandır is a pit oven made of special
center. As Oya Karabekir observed, the most
soil and has its roots in Central Asia. Three tandırs
interesting feature of the Erzurum kitchen is the
are embedded in a pentagonal platform. Over the
dome rising from an otherwise completely flat roof
oven is a stone arch. The vertical distance from the
and the wooden ceiling. The kırlangıç ceiling is a
bottom of the arch to the ground is on average 170
dome created by the criss-cross overlapping of the
cm. This section named tandırbaşı is placed
ends of thick timber beams.
diagonally where the two walls intersect in the
kitchen. It tapers off as it rises above and looks like
The Ming-Vi caves have kirlangic ceilings, which
a truncated cone. At the front edge of the hearth
Pelliot dates to the 7th century. Northern nations
raised above floor level are air vents called külve
introduced
the
through which air enters the pit ovens. The ring
Euro-Asian region stretching to India between
encircling the opening at the top is called surt.
this
Altay and Iran.
ceiling
13
construction
to
To build this ceiling, beams
Tandırs are generally made in three, namely small,
forming a square are placed on the angles of a
medium and big sizes, ranging in height from
square object. Then a smaller square is inscribed in
50-100 cm to 150 cm. The top is 65 cm in diameter
this square at its corners, and superimposed by
and bottom has a diameter of nearly 100cm. These
gradually decreasing squares, so that these beams
ovens are used for baking bread, cooking food,
create a dome-like ceiling. The kitchen has a wide
making milk products and warming dishes. The
diversity of elements: the tandirbasi (hood above
tandır is also a means of heating in poor people’s
the pit oven), shelves [terek], raised platform [seki],
houses. Various kitchen accessories are employed
stone water tank [kurun] and storeroom.
when baking bread.
Niches are carved into the stones on the interior
walls of the tandırbası. Kitchen equipment for
49
everyday use and items such as salt and pepper are
Crescent area, ovens have been excavated dating
kept in these niches.
back more than seven thousand years, suggesting
that nan or its equivalent has been a staple food for
Various utensils are used when cooking in tandır
the inhabitants of the region for at least that long.
ovens. The rapata is used for sticking thin bread
Now comes the tea, either green or black, as in
dough onto the walls of the tandır; it has an oval
Japan.”16
shape and is like a tough pillow stuffed with grass
and covered with thick cloth. The gelberi is a
shovel used to remove ash from the tandır. The
kösevi is a tool made of hardy wood used for
poking the tandır fire. the egis serves to retrieve
bread from the tandır and is flat at one end and
hooked at the other. The silek is an oily cloth used
to wipe the sides of the tandır.15
Tandır making became a trade in Erzurum. Tandır
makers had no market, no shops of their own, but
worked in their own houses.
Tandır makers used to carry the red tandır clay
from far away places by carts and the whole family
was employed at making the ovens. The tandır
maker used to be paid after he had installed the
Figure 4.Oven [tandırbaşı],Ekrem Bey’s House17
oven in the tandır pit in the house to which he had
sold the tandır, because transporting the tandır and
installing it carried a high risk of damage and
breakage. The experience and skill of the tandır
maker reduced this risk.
The Turks considered the oven sacred, and
consequently the tandırbaşı was also looked upon
as sacred in Erzurum, and a special ceremony used
to be held when installing the tandır.
Masatoshi Konishi gives an account of his
observations during his researches in Central Asia:
“.....we are brought some dishes of broiled mutton
and fried rice, along with a huge piece of thin
bread called “nan.” This kind of bread is a staple
throughout the entire area and has even spread as
far as North Africa, although its name naturally
Figure 5. Shelves (terek), small fireplace [ocak],
differs in various countries. In the so-called Fertile
Somunoğlu House18
50
Fireplace (ocak): “Ancient peoples used hearths
in their natural state.
to make fire in their rituals. The fire was mostly at
the center. Hearths were employed for cooking,
19
Water tank (kurun): The kurun is a water tank
heating or as sacrificial fire” . The fireplace is
which provides the water supply of the Erzurum
situated on one side of the tandırbaşı. The
house. It is built by carving into a single block of
fireplace harmonizes with the tandırbaşı. It has a
stone adjoining the wall of kitchen (tandırev). The
stone arch with a brick chimney. It is for practical
saka, or water carrier who brought water from
use.
street fountains, used to pour the water into the
opening of the kurun without entering the private
Shelf (terek): The resourcefulness of Erzurum
part of the house. The kurun has a decorative
women is apparent from the shiny look and neat
wooden lid on top. Water ran into the house
arrangement of copperware and brassware on the
through a tap called a burma. Water from the
shelves. The shelves extending from the floor up to
kurun was used very economically.
20
the ceiling on both sides of the tandırbası used to
give the kitchen a pleasant appearance. Copper and
brassware symbolized the family’s wealth. The
frame of the shelves was decorated with wood
carving. The shelves were spaced according to the
sizes of trays and plates.
Raised platform (seki): The seki is an important
element of the traditional Turkish house. Verandas,
also called hayat, are provided with raised
platforms in the shape of a balcony. Sekis are
placed in secluded parts of the veranda away from
circulation. The seki is section in the form of an
open room with a raised floor within the space so
as to benefit from the heat of the kitchen. It is a
few steps high, its front and sides are enclosed by
wooden rails. The space underneath was used as a
Figure 6. Water tank (kurun), Somunoğlu House
closet and food storage. All the activities in a room
21
could also take place here. The first layer of the
floor was a straw mat, which was covered first by
felt, and then a rug or kilim on top of all.
People used to sit on floor cushions along the walls,
and rest against back cushions. In some houses the
wall of the seki had wooden closets for mattresses
etc. The walls also had stone or gypsum coffee
hearths. The wooden closet doors, shelves, and
kirlangic ceilings in the kitchen are left unpainted
51
contribution they can make to the creation of a
local identity. The objective is to recognize and set
forth the characteristics of the kitchen of a
deep-rooted culture with regard to design on the
one hand, and to develop it in a contemporary
sense and inspire new designs on the other hand.
Endnotes
Figure 7. Raised platform (seki), Ekrem
House
Bey’s
22
Conclusion
Around 20 houses were studied insitu and the
plans of around 60 others were examined. The
differences of the furnishings of the Erzurum
kitchen, which is little known in Turkey, are as
follows:
1.The Erzurum house does not posses the
traditional plan of the Turkish house.
It is kitchen-centered rather than hall-centered.
2.The main living quarters are on the ground floor,
not on the upper floor.
3.Consequently the harem is on the ground (lower)
floor.
4.Raised platform [seki], Shelf [terek], Water tank
[kurun], Oven [tandırbaşı], Kırlangıc ceilings
1
Koprulu, Gluck, Strzygowski 1974, p.27.
2
Karpuz 1984, p.11.
3
Ibid., p.10.
4
Koprulu, Gluck, Strzygowski 1974, p. 7.
5
Eldem 1968, p. 12.
6
Ibid., p.24
7
Akok 1951, p. 4.
8
Sezen 1994, p. 31.
9
Asatekin, Eren 1979, p. 23.
10
Karabekir 1984, p. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
11
Karpuz 1984, p.98.
12
Karabekir 1984.
13
Koprulu, Gluck, Strzygowski 1974, p.32.
14
Konishi 1969, p. 88.
15
Karpuz 1984, p. 26.
16
Konishi 1969, p. 19.
17
Karabekir 1984.
18
Ibid.
19
Nauman 1991, p. 189, 190, 191.
20
Karpuz 1984, p. 27.
21
Karabekir 1984.
22
Ibid.
and bathtubs are the elements peculiar to the
Erzurum kitchen.
Today these kitchens have become obsolete. These
kitchens reflecting Turkish culture are worthy of
close consideration in view of the valuable
Bibliography
Akok, M., 1951, Ankara’nın Eski Evleri [Old Houses of
52
Ankara], Turk
Tarih Kurumu Basimevi,
Ankara, p.4, 5.
Asatekin, G., Eren, Z., The Outcome of a Questionaire
Work at Yeni Foca, M.E.T.U Journal of the
Faculty of Architecture, no: 1, vol:5, 1979, p.
23.
Eldem, S., 1968, Turk Evi Plan Tipleri [Plan Types of
Turkish Houses], I.T.U. Mimarlık Fakultesi
Baski Atolyesi, Istanbul, p. 12, 24.
Karabekir(Kılıc), O., Erzurum Kitchens, Turkiyemiz, no:
43, 1984, p.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Karpuz, H., 1984, Turk Islam Mesken Mimarisinde
Erzurum Evleri [Erzurum Houses in Turkish
Islamic Architecture], Basbakanlik Basimevi,
Ankara, p. 10, 11, 26, 27, 98.
Konishi, M., 1969, Afghanistan, Crossroads of Ages,
Kodansha International LTD., Tokyo, p. 19, 88
Koprulu, F., Gluck, H., Strzygowski, J., 1974, Eski Turk
Sanati ve Avrupa’ya etkisi [Ancient Turkish
Culture and its effects on Europe], Turk Tarih
Kurumu Basimevi, Ankara, p.7, 27, 32.
Nauman, R., 1991, Eski Anadolu Mimarlığı, 3.edition,
translated by: Beral Madra, Turk Tarih
Kurumu Basimevi, IV. Dizi, Ankara, p. 189,
190, 191
Oya Karabekir’s photography archive
Sezen, L., 1994, Erzurum Sehir Folkloru [Folk Art of
Erzurum], Er-Vak Yayınlari, Erzurum, p.31
53

A History of Kitchen Furnishing, Erzurum, Turkey

Transcription

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