Turkish Era architecture in Göynük

Göynük, a district of Bolu, located in the southwest of Western Black Sea region, is one of the first settlements which has been conquered in Anatolia in the Ottoman Empire reign. Owing to the fact that it used to be a center of trade where the Bursa Silk Road passed through, it has a significant place in the Turkish history. This historical district which has been able to protect its traditional texture has both hosted monuments from the early Ottoman era and still bears the traces from the late Ottoman era. As a result of the researches we have implemented, despite the fact that the Turkish era structures have attracted the attention of the researchers, it has been observed that structures dating back to the early Ottoman era have been studied. Amongst these structures are Gazi Süleyman Paşa Hamamı (14th century), Akşemseddin Türbesi (15th century) and the Ömer Sıkkini Hz Türbesi (15th century), ones that have survived since their foundation. In Göynük, there are 16 structures from the Turkish era in total, consisting of 6 mosques, 4 water fountains, 1 hammam, 1 government office, 1 tower and 3 mausoleums –all of which have officially been registered. In this thesis titled "Turkish Era Architecture in Göynük", the surviving Turkish era structures have been assessed by taking into consideration their planning, material and decoration. Our study consists of five main sections. In the first section, we have mentioned briefly about the history of Göynük. We addressed the architectural development from the Ottoman era to the Republic period in the second section. In the Catalogue section, we have classified the Turkish era structures constructed in Göynük as per their types. In the Fourth section, we have tried and compiled the information and documents regarding the structures which exist in various sources but did not survive until today. In the last section, we have assessed the structures in view of their architectural and planning characteristics, decoration styles, construction materials and technical aspects both in comparison with each other and by revealing their similarities and differences between other examples in the Turkish history. Keywords: Bolu, Göynük, Architecture, Mosque, Fountain, Mausoleum.