Investigation of door knockers in traditional houses of black sea region in terms of design and gender (the case of Kastamonu and Safranbolu)

Traditional houses, which are the immovable cultural assets of the cities of Kastamonu and Safranbolu, are important architectural structures that keep the urban culture of Anatolia alive today. Door knockers and rings, which are small-scale cultural items, were used as a means of communication, and they were used to announce the arrival of the guest to the house through the "the sound they make" and to close it by holding and pulling. In other words, doorknobs have created an aesthetic value as well as their functional aspect. Door rings and knockers have varied in each period with different forms, materials, decorations and production techniques; It is located at the doors of various buildings such as residences, mosques, inns and madrasas. In addition, in shaping the door knockers, which are important witnesses of the past, as tangible and intangible cultural heritage; society's life, beliefs, customs and traditions, economy, aesthetics, art, socio-cultural values and gender have also had a great impact. In particular, due to the concept of gender, the position, purpose and function of the door knockers and rings on the door have been redefined. In this context, in this study; A socio-cultural analysis has been made by looking at the historical development of doors, knockers and rings, the function of knockers, their symbolic, mythological aspects and meanings. Afterwards, the traditional houses in the cities of Safranbolu and Kastamonu were examined; The reflections and sociological effects of gender on door knockers and rings as a form have been examined. Then, in the city of Safranbolu in the Black Sea Region, Bağlar Region, the city center and Yörükler Village; In the city of Kastamonu, the types of knockers in the city center were examined in terms of form, decoration, manufacturing and decoration techniques, and as a result of the results obtained, in the context of the criteria examined in the research, the rings and knockers found were listed by dividing into main and subgroups and their typologies were deduced. As a result of the research, when the research data obtained about the relationship between door knockers and rings with design and gender, exemplified by traditional houses; It has been concluded that the phenomenon of gender affects the knockers in terms of sociological and form. However, the effect of gender as a form; Except for the hand-shaped door knockers found in the houses of Safranbolu and Kastamonu, it was observed that it was not reflected in every knocker and ring in the studied area. The sociological reflections of gender on door knockers and drawers; it was by expressing the social status, economic status, cultural identity and marital status of the host. In other words, door knockers and rings have gained a great place in Anatolian society with both their tangible and intangible aspects and have become an important symbol in nonverbal communication. Keywords: Kastamonu, Safranbolu, Traditional House, Door Knockers and Rings, Gender