Village Chamber of Sivas – İlbeyli District Manager (1862-?) Şekerzade Osman Ağa in Menşurlu

Abstract

Village rooms are one of the important Turkish architectural traditions that have continued from the past to the present. Village rooms, which were built by the villagers or one or more of the rich families in the village in the past, continue to exist today under names such as condolence house, village mansion, guest room, village room. It is known that village rooms basically serve the gathering and accommodation needs of the people. These rooms are important places that reveal the concepts of hospitality and solidarity, which are the most prominent features of Turkish culture. Village rooms, which generally have a structure that is far from ostentation in terms of architecture, attract attention with their interior decorations.

In this study, Şekerzade Osman Ağa’s room located in Menşurlu village of the Merkez district of Sivas was examined. The room was built in 1880-1881. It was built in the east-west direction with a rectangular plan, a single-story room with a nim platform. The structure, built with rough-cut stone, rubble stone and wooden materials, contains dense wooden ornamental compositions. It is understood from the single piece of tree depiction that has survived to the present day in the interior that the room had wall paintings in addition to wooden decorations during the period it was built. This structure, which was built on the “nim sekili” plan, similar examples of which can be found in the villages of Sivas İlbeyli, and which contains the wooden decoration features of traditional residential architecture, is currently abandoned to its fate. It is essential that the village room be restored to its original state and put back into use.