ABSTRACT

There is a distinctive type of house that once was found wherever the Ottomans lived. From the seventeenth century until the first days of the twentieth century-when regions such as Bulgaria, Greece, Bosnia, and Turkey claimed a private title to their own part of the once great Ottoman Empire-timber-framed houses with protruding upper stories characterized a wide landscape, giving it a distinctive Ottoman stamp. Just by looking at these houses, you knew you were in Ottoman territory. Most noticeably, their upper floors would jut out over the lower ones to take advantage of the free space of the street. These cantilevers were lined with uniform windows to maximize ventilation and views, and they were protected by expansive, overhanging eaves. Such facades and profiles once defined the streetscapes of many Ottoman towns, from modern-day Bosnia to Syria.