An analysis of the plan typology of vernacular Talas Houses

Özet

Kayseri has always been an important administrative center throughout its his-tory. Talas, which is a town in Kayseri, is situated on the slopes of Ali Mountain which is to the northeast of Erciyes Mountain and about ten kilometers from the Kayseri city center. Talas is an important town with regard to the history of archi-tecture including traditional vernacular texture occupied by Turkish, Armenian and Greek populations in the late Ottoman period. The Harman District, which is chosen as a case study, acts as the core of the housing texture of Talas. Plan formations of traditional Talas houses present information on related periods and local characteristic styles. Within the scope of this study, the local features of these houses, plan elements and plan types are analyzed. As a result of this analysis, a table of the plan typology of these houses is prepared. In a culturally rich settle-ment of Anatolia located at the crossroads of civilizations in Talas, nowadays the existing historical texture is gradually disappearing. The documentation of the vernacular architecture of Talas will have an impact on the conservation of the historical texture of the settlement as well as transferring the data to future gen-erations. Furthermore, this data could be a guide in the area for site management projects prepared by the local municipality.