The Ottoman-Turkish House According to Architect Sedad Hakkı Eldem

Abstract

This is the first study that takes into consideration part of the vast and unexplored correspondence of Turkish architect Sedad Hakkı Eldem. In particular, it analyzes the portion of the accessible letters of Eldem which focus on the geographical extension of the Ottoman-Turkish house. The rediscovery of vernacular architecture had an essential role during the formation of national identity in Turkey, and this phenomenon was not an isolated case in the panorama of modern architecture in the Mediterranean. Sedad Hakkı Eldem’s letters show that he had established a network of correspondents from all over the former Ottoman world, who were investigating the range and breadth of the so-called Ottoman-Turkish House. These letters take their reader on a path through the experiences of a lifetime, highlighting Eldem’s professional relationships and theories and his deepest architectural passions, and offering a more personal point of view than the conventional iconographic portrayal of the “State Architect”.

Keywords

• vernacular architecture
• identity
• transnational network
• Ottoman Empire
• correspondence
• domestic culture