Architectural characteristics of traditional Van houses

The general characteristics of the traditional Turkish houses have been shaped by a continuing accumulation of culture during the historical period. The geographical and climatic characteristics of Anatolia have always been influential factors in the construction of houses. The influence of geographical and climatic characteristics is seen in construction technique, application methods, materials used and façade formation. The belief system which is dominant in the region, economic conditions, lifestyle and so on, and all these factors together have caused different results in architectural frame in different parts of Anatolia. When we examine the general characteristics of the existing and demolished buildings, Van city, which reflects the characteristics of the Anatolian residential architecture to a great extent, has been home to many civilizations throughout history and is an important settlement with its historical, cultural and architectural heritage. While different civilizations bring different types of architectural structures to each other, their interactions also have an important influence on the formation of the urban texture of Van. When examining previous works on Van residential architecture and traditional Van houses, it had seen that the works are superficial and only one of the traditional Van houses (Yörükler house) is registered. It has been observed that no studies have been conducted on other houses that have managed to survive after the 2011 earthquake. The purpose of this study is to examine traditional Van houses within the framework of their architectural features and to reveal their importance and original value in traditional Turkish houses. In this context, a total of 35 houses: a small number of traditional Van houses, which have managed to survive in Van's Tuşba and İpekyolu districts and the houses destroyed before or after Van earthquake of 2011 houses have been investigated. As a method of the study, the related literature was searched, fieldwork was made for the existing structures and documentation was provided. Archive work has been done for demolished houses and information was obtained on the registration status from the responsible public institutions. The study consists of five main sections. In the introduction, the literature summary, thesis purpose and hypothesis are given in detail and the scope and method of the study are explained. In the second section, the geographical position and characteristics of Van, which is the study area, the origin of Van name, the history and demographical structure of the city are discussed. In the third section, the architectural features of traditional Turkish houses (main architectural components, plan, façade and ornamentation) are explained after considering the origins of the traditional Turkish house and the factors that make / influence its architecture in the historical process. In the fourth section, information about housing texture and architecture of Van are examined firstly. After the catalog of traditional Van houses was given, the architectural features of the houses (main architectural components, plan, façade and ornamentation) were examined. In the fifth section, the historical situation of the traditional Van houses, which is one of the values that make up the identity of the city, the architectural characteristics and its original value in the traditional Turkish houses in Anatolia were examined in the context of the findings obtained at the end of the study.