Built-in Furnitures of Mehmet Pehlivan House's 'Başoda' in Germir-Kayseri

Abstract

A number of studies has been made concerning the preservation of historical Germir houses. On one hand no work has been made in regard to the built-in furnitures (şerbetlik, cupboard, etc.) of rooms or houses. Recently in respect to palace furnitures many studies have been made; in return there is no basic fieldwork concerning the Ottoman period houses' built-in furnitures. Detecting the inadequacies of the field, it was decided to study the built-in furnitures of Germir. Among 35 houses, the built-in furnitures of Mehmet Pehlivan House were chosen as the best example and the most representative one. Like most of the existing Ottoman Period houses, the Germir houses are made in the second half of the 19.th. century, their decoration being more under the effect of European styles. The Germir and Pehlivan houses were Christian houses, and the population of Germir was mainly consisting of Christians (Orthodox Greeks/ Karamanians/ Turkofon Greeks/ Anatolian Turks and Gregorian Armenians) before the migration (1923). However, the house and furniture design, with some exceptions, was mainly under the effect of traditional Ottoman planning and design. In the Pehlivan house, the main room's (başoda) furnitures were arranged like the furnitures of the Turkish 'Başoda'. The built-in furnitures of the Ottoman/Turkish 'Başoda' comprises of 'yüklük (cupboard), şerbetlik, seki-sedir/diwan', and some other minor wares. In the Pehlivan House the door is handled together with the furnitures of the main room (başoda), placed on the same partition wall, having the same concept with the Turkish 'Başoda' as cited above.

Keywords

• mehmet pehlivan house
• fixed (built-in) furniture; turkish room furniture.