Tahir Ün

Photographer, video artist, curator, activist
      
Nomad Village
Public Project
Nomad Village
Copyright Tahir Ün 2024
Updated Mar 2020
Location Yörük
Topics analog, Architecture, Documentary, heritage, Ottoman, Photography
Aims of this project was to introduce the Yoruk Village of Safranbolu, Karabuk, Turkey.

13 km away from Safranbolu, this museum-like village can only be reached by car or taxi. The village is under protection and the houses and konaks (mansions) are all well preserved. The village was founded byan Oguz Turk tribe, and its oldest wooden house is 450 years old while itsnewest one is still nearly 110 years old.

The houses’ inner decorations and ceiling embellishments are as stunning as their façades. The deer horns hanging from the eaves are considered lucky. The Kaymakçioglu, Muratoglu and Sipahiler mansions, Ahsap Cami (Wooden Mosque) and the Çamasirhane (Laundry), restored as an art gallery, are among the sites of interest.

Yoruk village has gained  reputation based on the village’s past residents and the houses they built in that  location which become Yoruk village.

The residential area indeed has been a village, but the architecture and the size of these houses in Yourk village puzzle us with respect to their existence in a village settings.  In Turkey usual village concept makes one think a pesant population and poorly built one storey adobe houses. Yoruk village seems to be an exception to this commonality in village settings. The distinction between common village concept and Yoruk village that makes us think why the houses were built with such large living areas and multifunctional  architecture in a village setting.

It is important to know the region’s history, especially that of the town of  Safranbolu to which Yourk village belongs administratively and economically since the village was established. Therefore, the village usually called Yourk village of Safranbolu (Safranbolu Yoruk Koyu).  Safranbolu itself is a living museum of distinct houses and public building architecture. However, this does not surprises us as much as Yoruk villlage, since Safranbolu had been an important town of the region with respect to economy, transportation, administration.  Therefore,  it is very useful to know about the history of Safranbolu to understand why Yoruk village is distinct.

The site  tries to introduce Yoruk village to those who are interested in Yoruk village and perhaps helps us understand why Yoruk village has such rich architecture and large buildings that are not common to for a village in Turkey.

The photographs of my project were used in these books:

- Safranbolu Yörük Köyü, Geleneksel YaÅŸam Biçimi ve Evleri. Kültür Bakanlā±āŸā± Yayā±nlarā±, Ankara, 1998
- Safranbolu Yörük Köyü, Tuncay Kara, Grafiker Yayā±nlarā±, Ankara, 2005
 
 

 
 

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Nomad Village by Tahir Ün
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