AYDA AREL,
GOTHIC TOWERS AND BAROQUE MIHRAB‘
‘THE POSE-CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE OF AEGEAN ANATOLIA.
IN THE EIGHTEENTH AND NINETEENTH CENTURIES
“The emergence of the great provincial dynastic, fam
ie who had acquired wealth and power asa side effect
‘ofthe disruption ofthe Oxoman mirregine, was a phe
nomenon to be observed in most parts of the Oxoman
Empire in the eighteenth centary. Most of Hse new
Faas Nek vast agrarian estates oF fl, wich they
had appropriated more or les illegal They also owned
‘quarters in owns es, and they were patrons of mix
throws religious foundations and publiesersice works"
Some ofthese famies ate well no, asthe case ith
the Karaosmanoght clan which controlled. Manis,
Ain, al omy and the Clhanogia family. atve in and
sound Aydin, and whose architectural patronage pro-
‘duce typical family spe tn the hsch move
The exes on which these families ved were usually
lange farmstends in whic the master's quarters were fr
‘ied and somesimes had the appearance of strong
holds, Armong sich fortified estates stil inthe Aegean
region, we may cite the complex inthe vlage of Arpaz,
‘near Navi (Ggs. 3), snd the fortifications which
belonged to the Canon estate in the wile of Cin-
cin, near Ay (Hg 3) Clearly i as imperative forthe
‘ners of uch estates to defend their property and to
maintain coatrel over the territory they commanded,
The emergence ofthese provincial dynasties cineided
witha period of ternal unrest characterized bya surge
‘of bandtry and popular tebelions. The Arpar strong:
hol is associated wits the saga of Atcal Bel Meet 3
local rebel and ant active during the reign of Mal-
‘mod I, who eve rated the region bri, with the sup-
port of the peasantry, hefore he was wapped and ext-
‘sted by government forex”
“The feudal aspect ofthese fortified installations ran by
trasoms, who kept bands of armed men and were often
‘ngage in blondy conflicts song themseles, as an
fnachronistc quay, And yet i shouldbe taken asthe
Consequence and the plyscalexpresion of an innova-
tive sjstem af land property precluding capital forma-
sion inthe Ouomas Eampire There were simi extab>
lishmets in an ofthe empire in the Ba
an provinces of Bosnia, Herzegovina, Albania, Epis,
Thesilyy ane Macedonia, bat So far as is known the
spread ofthis particular ype of fortified farm or esate
‘ne restricted o the Balan nd the Aegean region and
{id not characterize he eastern provinces
Inv many instances these frtited domains had a keep
‘or residential tomer in diret connection to the master’s
house. The towers in che villages of Arpaz (ig. 2),
Koval (igs. 8), cholic the province of Aydin, and
‘erkesgi near ancient Troy (ig 6) are examples. This
last ower belonged tthe ir of the Grand Adel
Genii Hasan Pasa, There were also isolated iowers,
ruchas the one inthe sillageof Donduran, near the Car.
Jan cy of Onthasia the omer fo Mis, and the socalled
1g 1 View ofthe Alea pina ofthe ibe Ape fn he
‘alte rt hu er Ro eeconic TOWERS AND MAROQUE MHRA
ig 2-The Reyer Ronni Arp Behn the tree remin
‘testi wh eich pe fo
“Mustafa Psa Tower near Bodrum — the ancient Halcar:
rast (ig. 7). These wer scem to have derive from
the same tadion asthe vernacilartower howe proper
to the rural areas ofthe Aegean world” Their archetype
might wel be the rural pgs, that the domestic tower
forsmall castle which marked the center of such agrarian
states asthe Hellenistic ltifund, the Roman farm,
And the Byzantine prea’
[Neither the residential rowers nor the fortified
“domaine ar evr mentioned in the manstlsof Otoan
architectures yet there is evidence enough to indicate
thac the Keep was the main edifice inthe easiest Ouo-
‘man palaces? This anes the question ofthe survival
‘preOttoman wypes, especially in rural areas which have
been les subject renowaion. The simiaety beween
medieval pois later Ouoman residential towers an
their ypologcal relation to the wermacular tomer house
indieate the persistence of certain types and of their
auloption by suecesive eutares. Obyialy the category
belongs to the Mediterranean tration and had Beet
subjected to special promtion ia the Mile Ages, when
the Latin seeupation of the Aegean area — Rowan ae
‘twas termed — instigated a feudal organization of the
conquered territory." The type must then have been
revived again in later Otloman ties under particular
ats
gM nine are Cacia
Ditorical contingencies. The western part of Asia Minor
vas conquered long after the rest ofthe peninsula, by
“Turkmen enbes whe had tecome progressively sedeniary
as they organized themsches nto politi ene Soon
alter, the Turkmen amiraes ofthe Aegean world were
taken over by the Ottomans who bila unified state and
lnmposed a strong administration implemented bya code
ied tand tenure stem anda weldefined fac regime,
The work of Hal Inalcik ane Avdo Suge have dem.
fnstrated that, whenever posible, dhe Ottoman com
‘querors chose not o interfere with the preexisting land
land taxation stems; they were merely adapted 10
|slamic modalities. By 0 doing, dhey managed not to di
rupt the economic structure already in operon, ind
they were able wo assure the ex adherence tothe new
system of dhe inhabicans of economically potent rural
areas." This explains the permanence of ol etemnents
indhearea ~asindiated bythe persistence of ld oper
sym — and als the ural rt the eighteenth centhry
‘of cersin building pes belonging tothe pre-Ouoman
period. Obviusiya settlement which as not needed to
change is sctlement that will preserve is existing
forms of spatial organization unl a new aet of conde
tions eomes along to make them obsolete
Most of the fried estes were loeated near much
older setlementsthe Arpay exate stands the Foo of
Jil bearing the remain ofthe Carian town of arpa
another fortified mansion ix located in the village of
TInebotu, the former Neapolis in Caria; and there are
‘many other. One ao often finds inthe vc of settle
‘ments with fortified estate, achaie mausoleum of the
‘ype usally ansocitel with the tombs of the early Turk
ish colonists For instance, he mausoleum of Sey Bila.au
Harretiest which belongs to save mentioned ins
teenth-century registers, stands atthe fot ofthe hill 08
‘hich is located the vilage of Dedekoy, one ofthe seats
ff the amirate of Menteshe® fut it was aso the re
fence of a branch of the Gibanogl Fai All these
‘ructures bear witnes to the continuly of habitat in the
region, and offer clues tothe mode of land appropr
ation atthe de ofthe Turkish conquest of western Asia
This eof data gives clue as tthe manner i whieh
some individuals and their families aequeed the power
and social staning hat gave the oppartanity and Neense
tooperate ina vay that led to the great wealth ad ae
thority they acquired. For the steue attained inthe
eighteenth eutury by families f notables was a conse
{quence of circumstances that had made their egal
‘ccupation of formerly mi land easy, one of those cr
Fig. The Kgl Toner ate en he ona The ply
ich carat ade cones oa
cumstances may wel have been local recognition of thee
Tineage. Lineage consclouriess charscteriaes the de
seendantsaf these od files, who often refer to ether
trial ancestry o forebears having taken part in he com
‘ques. An ora tradition wideypread im the prosince of
Adin maintains that dhe ancestors of the Cihanogia
family were the chiets of ee of Turkmen momade
active in the motntainons region known ax "Mazin” (a
onruption of Amyaon), an portant Carian setiement,
‘This tadtion, for which no dacymentary confirmation
exists, Is albo known tothe peasants living inthe sea
tered vilges ofthe Mazin range, who are ready to show
fff the ste — tay toll desered — where they
believe the fiat habtacon ote dynasty was, The Cian
‘gh clan bas intermarred with the Aydinogl fay
the would be deacendans ofthe amirae of Aydin, Sim
Jar claims are made by the cescendants of other estate‘corte TOWERS AND BAROQUE MaKAIs
Tes
Fg The ter as prt of he amen ofthe Gand Adi
(Cay Hanan otra nacre a of oy td
Ton ilar nage and propor go tan ates
‘seta ck ye We et ce es
owning Families and even if these claims are not valid,
they are indicative of the bond — real or tive— which
right exist between loeal roots and the acquisition of
local wealth and authori. Ie w be noted thatthe
claims wo lineage that have been advanced to justify the
Figheto have vat landholdings do not correspond a the
‘stablshed ideas pertaining Wo the clasical Onin
landase tem
“The emergence of the ndowning dynasties of local
noable also coincides roughly wit the ination ofa
new kindof diplomatic relationship beoseen the Oxo
‘man Empe and the European powers. The new rel
ions were the outcome ofthe Portes efforts align the
country with dhe Wet, a east in the spheres of technical
and aulitary knowhow. ‘Tht policy encouraged the
introduction of European forms and isitons which
were adopted whenever they could be made 1 fi into
local eutnal patterns. The European impacton at and
architecture iso be detected in the widespread use of
Rococo and Inte Baroque decoration and in atempts to
achiewe three-dimensional design, The new ends
han and preailedin the capital ofcourse, but pron
Gil circles soon Tallowed, expecially in those regions
‘which were the most expoted wo foreiga contact the Hal.
an lands, for example, and Smyrna, which had become
the foremost port for exportation and which howsed
Iaaly large colony of Esopean merchants dl consular
‘ial
‘The new trends wete most readily adopted by the
21s
ri aap inngioan rn te
social groups who were motiated by wealth al socal
aspiration to be asinilated into the ruling clas. These
{roups tended wo adopt the idiosyneraces of those they
hope oimitate. Theat explains the profusion of
Ine Baroqie and Rococo featires to bef in their
terior uildings made or restored by oder ofthe rch
patrons ving in and around cosmopotian Sina
The introduction of Wester fashions into Aegean
Anatolia can also be expainel by the presence of non-
Islamic communities such as he Greeks and Lesantines
who worked forthe Europeass with whom they mixed
and by the economie ineress that hound the Turkish
produces of the interior wk the European merchants
ofthe coast Those interests tere often managed without
the intervention of Ottoman oficial, and this dive
contact ight wel have faiinrized the provincial fons
the hinterland with the cosmopolitan taste ofthe itor
How else to expltin the fl for the Rococo i vllage
Dullngs ordered by wealthy farmer?
In the particular case ofthe" Oceldentaliing” Aegean
buailng, the combination of Nester features displayed
does not belong entirely to the repertory of form sd
motif used bythe architects of dhe capital eit. Indeed,
while the architecture of Istanbul was nepied primary
by French models, the Aegean version of Westemized
atchitecural decoration i ofen 3 combination of Ia:
jan Baroque and elements of Gothic origin, The mira
‘ofthe Ghanogla moxue in tke village of Cincin, with ite
Iypicl wisted pilasters ane & exuberant plaserwork216
Fig 8: Thema ofthe Gog mosqein he age fein
‘he pained lanseape ot he asm ae fro er ep
Theil mpc pe oe es
(Gg. 8), strikes the onlookers being tray Halla in
‘concept Another Gihanoga mosque at Aye also with
Talsnateplsterwork inside, ss ot a terrace creed by
sroin wits, The sme terraces on groin ass are used
1 the landings ofthe exterior staircases of the pos
Genoese ills of Chios. The late Baroque plaster deco
nition isalso haan: one need only compare the interior
fof churches on Chios with a ehureh at Gesme, nea
Tumi, oF with the interior of mosques in Izmir isl,
which were restored in the lat eighteenth or ety nine
eenth century, to see the shniaity. Some of the oldest
houses in Gesme are aso evocative of the Kampos villas
at Chios (Hg 9-0) " These European features in the
Smyrna area mut have been a byproduct ofthe sige that
‘vale on Chios under the influence of the Genoese
‘sho rll cnn de mi teenth century when tas
9 ype me a Repent, Sth mee
ig 10 Tne ear Fora (Phoce) Nett eembance‘conic: TowERs AND BAROQUE MIRARS
conquered by the Ottomans. But even under Ottoman
Fue, the Haan influence was maintained, a8 the new
privilege class was comprised ofthe local notables who
hhad intermaried.widh the Talis. ‘This enixing of
Genoese with loealfaies hal 28 ome amor result
architecture disinet in its acquired Renaisaince and
Baroque traits trom thatof the other islands The portof
Chios was important unl Smyrna sarpased it and had
had close es with Gene and other ports along the
coast, such a the two Fogas, bth former Genoese clo-
bea. When Biya eeu the Forcier export port
And the economy of Chios consequent declined, host
ff uadesmen and artisans Mocked to coastal Anatola
and Sanya where they prospered"
In addition to she Genoese heritage in its post
Genoese form, one should not overtook the impact of
the image implanted in the Aegean bythe Latins. The
‘andes ofthe Knights of Saint Jobin dorsinated the land
Sseape of te bay at Smyrna and on Rhodes. The tower of|
the Arpar esate, which is reminiscent of the Naillae
tower on Rhodes, was restored tits present fon by a
‘oup of Rhodian crasmen ater 183. The Gikanogin
tower at Kogarl acquired, mont probably after twas re
stored inthe early nineteenth century, an aspect more
‘evocative of Gothie towers than ofthe local got.
‘Generalizations about the multifceted Ottoman real
lrg ae rity, expecially generalizations abou the conto
politn Aegean world. This partclany true ofthe e-
fod that runs from the mid eighteenth century (and
pethaps earlier) tothe inal collape ofthe empire 8 p=
od marked by inorations that were never Gul novel
and by revivals which may be mere survials. The new
barons and their architectural expressions combined
diachronic elemens; anachronism anilpated deeper
twansformations and therefore should be vewed as the
beginning of new formulations.
Istenb, Tasks
ores
2 Mt a Th eg of Tm ce Sate,
‘sled onan Pasion, 89).
‘heuer ofthe din (cable) nthe eighth cen
See abo Oa: mont npr Spon Ankara
{Sririeon XV yin hse rn
Ii le gees ve yGk Haneda ar” lar
16s (Rh tbs Naga, Me ie Pe
Ayn Ma (Toyo, 190) pp. 12
2 The morgue deed 138 and beseng an arp i the
‘te of As end fhe ha hag, peta he
a7
es tn and moe idl phe prsacil iing
he Rae per in Oneonta
161s hs ig hop shang
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[yds Arh “Une ferme dome dae lage Arps 3
‘yhn,” i rational Conf Saal nd ao
ty of Tey Ian 21-2 ga 158, Poo laa,
dito itn ttt Cha a”
Bohol 1. Arjan Songer Tipton, ok 1 (Ankara,
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lection emp of Heh Tih al fin Sir ing nen Cn om
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