The Architectural Features of Traditional Pavilions in Mardin - Southeastern Anatolia

Abstract

The historic city centre of Mardin, in southeastern Turkey, is recognised for its architectural and cultural richness. Scope of this study, the architectural features of 24 pavilions, located in the Bakirkiri and Zinnar Valleys, which lie 2–15 km away from the city centre of Mardin, were examined. In this study, pavilions are specifically defined as “individual summer houses in the countryside in open areas or among vineyards and orchards”. The traditional pavilions of Mardin, which reflect the prominent architectural features and social life of the period during which they were constructed, were used as summer residences and for the cultivation of crops. The results of the study reveal that the design of traditional Mardin pavilions successfully incorporated the element of water by taking topography and climatic data into consideration, that these structures contained a central iwan with a selsebil as the main element and that regional materials were used in their construction.