Bosphorus Waterside Houses

Bosphorus is surely the reason of Istanbul’s chosen as a settling area, its born ve development which has been one of the important centers of the world in every era of the history. But today Bosphorus is changing rapidly and losing its popular beauty. This changing destroys the natural beauties of the Bosphorus and makes historical memories and ancient monuments lost. Bosphorus houses are suddenly “collapsing” and “burning”. Bosphorus has its own architectural language with its waterside houses since 18th century. Bosphorus waterside houses were the products of the wealthy life and they had been using only in summers. Historical effects like neoclassic, empire style, baroque, eclectic, art nouveau could be observed on these waterside houses. Waterside houses were the application of the Ottoman-Turkish Architecture. And these houses determines the social structure of the Ottoman Empire. As A. Sinasi Hisar said: “ Old big waterside houses were like tiny miniature of Ottoman Empire.” Their lands start from the sea and rise to the hill. Upper gardens are like steps. Waterside houses have pavilions, pergolas, places for hunting, nursery garden, vegetable garden and have shady sitting places at the downer parts. Their plan type is clover leaf plan comes from Middle-Asia. Their entrance halls are covered with marble or stone and upper levels are covered with planking and matting. The masses are reflected by plan are wrapped with moving facades. The horizantal prisms are covered with inclined roof and tiles. The horizontal and vertical openings of the facades open the buildings to the landscapes, can be closed by the shutters according to sun and season. Classical Turkish architectural style is seen till the middle of the 18th century. In 19th century baroque and empire styles start. At Ottoman Reform Period European effects are seen. But the plan and mass forms stays in Turkish architectural styles. The changing of styles are only seen at details and decorations. The nation of the owners of the waterside houses could be realised from the facade of the houses. Light colored houses were Turkish owners', dark coloreds were foreigners' and colorful houses were minorities'. First Classical Turkish ornamentations had been used than at late periods Turkish-Baroque ornamentations are used. The main ornamentations of the waterside houses were nature. The capital city of Ottoman Empire has special location as Bosphorus and these situation has provided a new building style. This style is based on the nature. Ottoman-Turkish waterside houses have proportion with landscape. The numbers of these houses can't be determined because of the carelessness of the government. Heritors of the owners owned these houses after their first owners. We can only know rumors about the construction periods of these houses and there is no documents on their construction materials and construction systems. Today some of these houses had been restored and can be used. But some of them are in very bad situation and needs to be restored immediately otherwise we're going to lose an important piece of our history.