Use of wood in traditional civil architecture examples in Ödemiş

The history of Ödemiş District, located in the Küçük Menderes Basin, dates back to ancient times. There are many material cultural assets belonging to the civilizations that reigned in the district. Among these cultural assets, examples of late Ottoman civil architecture occupy an important place. In this thesis, the use of wood in traditional houses in Ödemiş District was examined. The wooden parts of the examined houses were addressed for the first time with a broad perspective in terms of decoration, construction technique and material. In the study, the wooden parts of the architecture of 36 traditional houses located in Birgi, Bademli, Ovakent, Konaklı and Lübbey were studied by grouping them as "construction material" and "supplementary elements". All of the traditional houses discussed within the scope of the thesis are buildings dating back to the 19th century. It was observed that the wooden parts of the houses dating back to the 19th century were decorated in accordance with the Ottoman Late Period art style. The decorative features of these houses are seen to differ from the examples built towards the middle and end of the century. In addition, the room layout and the way doors are placed in early houses have different characteristics from the examples built at the end of the century. However, it has been observed that the type of wood material and construction technique used in the construction of houses have not changed throughout the century. Within the scope of the thesis study, it was aimed to examine and record the use of wood in traditional civil architecture examples of the Late Ottoman Period in Ödemiş District in terms of material, construction technique and ornamental features. Another aim of the study is to draw attention to the few surviving examples of civil architecture in the district and to ensure that these examples are protected. Thus, the artistic and architectural features of the traditional houses in the district, which are among the important examples of our cultural heritage, will be brought together with new generations.