The civilization that ruled the island for the longest time was the Byzantines (330-1191). Although data on Byzantine houses have been found in studies conducted in recent years, information on lifestyle in this period is not sufficient. This is because the Byzantines did not want to describe their lives in writing or painting [Habitat II, p. 411].
During the 3rd century, residential development was observed, depending on the Lusignan rules, which influenced the architecture of the island of Cyprus (1192-1489). The Lusignans ruled the island with the feudal system (feudal lordship). In terms of the rights they had, the people were divided into two groups, the Europeans coming from outside (nobles and bourgeois) and the indigenous people, which were divided into three. Indigenous people have a duty to serve those in the upper echelon. Taxes are collected; churches, palaces, castles and walls were being built [Demi, 1997, p.30].
During the Lusignan period, houses with inner courtyards were among the most applied building types. Houses with inner courtyards, which have gardens and courtyards surrounded by high walls, have expanded in size due to many different functions. The inner courtyard was a suitable element for ventilation due to the favorable climatic conditions [Çavuşoğlu, 2006, p.10]. The ground floor was an important floor and one side always faced south. On the wall facing the road, there was an entrance door and small windows that were too high for the human eye to see (Figure 11). The privacy of life was designed to face the inner courtyard. With the addition of service spaces such as the kitchen, pantry and toilet, the buildings began to expand from one side perpendicular to the road. Buildings with an inverted “L” plan scheme were formed. While the hall was on the ground floor, it had a covered and open plan [Demi, 1997, p.32].
Figure 11: Lusignan House
Venetian domination (1489-1571) lasted only 82 years on the island [Yıldız, 1997, p.95]. The island was used as a shelter and base for merchant fleets. Art, civilization and commerce declined. When the population migrated, the land was not dealt with sufficiently. Although many buildings were destroyed by the strong earthquakes in 1491, 1542 and 1547, not many changes were made to the structure of the city and buildings while they were being repaired [Home, 1986, pp.140-141].
Due to the poor administration of the Venetian administration, Cyprus was conquered by the Ottomans in 1571. And the Ottoman period has begun in Cyprus (1571-1878). The population transferred from Anatolia to the island was settled in rural areas, not cities, due to the small size of the island of Cyprus and the low population in rural areas. Thus, a change in social structure occurred. Land and housing rights, land registry and cadastral records were made in this period.
The mosque was an important element for the Ottomans and the layout of the buildings was determined by the axes taken according to the mosques. In the Ottoman period, it was a matter of ensuring the peace and protection of the island by building plain and simple buildings instead of monumental buildings. The houses with simple plans were entered from the inner garden. They were doing their living, eating and sleeping needs in the place that is used as a multi-purpose room and is still called the sofa today, which carries its importance until today. Today, the word sofa is used for the daily room in the modern Turkish house. The cooking activity was moved to the inner courtyard. Service spaces such as storage were detached from the main building. The toilet was also located in the open area.
Privacy was one of the important factors affecting planning in the Ottoman period. The rooms were directed to the inner courtyard and were closed to the outside life thanks to the high garden walls [Çavuşoğlu, 2006, p.10]. Even the windows were positioned at the highest points of the exterior (Fig. 12).
Figure 12: Example of Ottoman Period Housing (Salvator, 1983, p.23)
The fact that single-storey buildings faced the inner courtyard and the ground floors of two-storey buildings were used as service areas (storage, barn) was the proof of the introverted life of the Ottoman period. Courtyards; It was a place for washing, cooking, social activities and hosting guests. In short, most of the life time was spent in the courtyard, which was of great importance for the Ottoman people, and many activities were taking place [Dağlı, 1999, p.66]. In this period, women spent their days cooking on the stove, taking care of their animals, milking, doing housework (dishes, organizing) and gardening, and hosting guests. Men used to spend time dealing with their gardens after work.
In the single-storey rural Ottoman houses, the users produced single-storey buildings with no aesthetic concerns and highlighting the function. The courtyard, on the other hand, served to connect the building and the service areas. Access to the building was provided by the rooms opening from the courtyard to the sofa.
In the village of Fikardu (Phikardou), located on the southeast slope of the Troodos Mountains, there are original examples of two-storey houses from the Ottoman period. Due to the restoration works carried out in 1984, an example of a residential plan that has survived from the 19th century to the present has been identified (Figure 13) [Egoumenidou, 1987, p.2-3]. There are warehouses, barn and grape press on the lower floor, and living spaces on the upper floor. The fact that they created small window openings on the northwest facade, which is the dominant wind direction in the building [Pashardes, 1995, p.414] and that they turned their inner courtyards to the south, reveals the importance of creating a design according to the climate at that time. In addition, vertical eaves on the verandas and movable shutters on the windows are used to protect from excessive sun rays.
Figure 13: House “Achilleas Dimitri”, ground floor plan after restoration
(Egoumenidou and Floridou, 1987, p. 15)
In the Ottoman period, the lower windows were kept closed and there were long skylights to provide light. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, lower windows began to be used more widely and applied as tall windows. The skylights, which gradually lost their function, became smaller and became round or square skylights in the 20th century. The window areas on the facades were small and their dimensions were small [Uluengin, 2000, p.32].
During the British period (1878-1930), the Ottoman style of life, culture and occupations were adopted by the Cypriot people. Due to the changing activities, new spaces have emerged. The differences in window ratios have changed after the formation of the new spaces mentioned and the outward living arrangement. Fixed windows were applied to let the light inside on the narrow long windows at a ratio of 1:2. They widely used the front balcony house type to cool off in hot weather and to watch the street. There was also a garden behind these houses [Dagli, 1999, p.47-48]. With the increase in the population in the rural area, the need for housing was met with the renovations and additions made to the existing buildings.
In the British period between 1930-1960, the urbanization movement began. In this period, which coincided with before 1946, the introverted life style of the Ottoman Empire was giving way to an open life.
Thus, differences in window sizes began to occur. Everyone was implementing their own house according to local, rural materials. Cypriot village houses were suitable for independent development. Agriculture was an important factor. With the developing technology after 1946, the people who wanted to settle in the cities from the villages could not migrate with the provision of daily migrations. The increase in trade with England led to the change of the building materials used, the training of technical personnel, and the planned design of the houses. Mass housing was built by the colonial administration to meet the needs of the population in the cities. Reinforced concrete construction technology was applied for the first time in the British period. Now, with the flexibility provided by the material, different building forms and different interior design possibilities were created. In particular, window sizes started to expand from 1:2 and 1:3. [Dağlı, 1999, p.48].
The buildings were surrounded by gardens on all four sides and had semi-open verandas. It was possible to sit and rest while hosting guests in these places.
In the single-storey British era houses, there were service areas in the courtyard. The building, which is in the form of rooms connected to the sofa from the street, could also be entered from the courtyard or directly from the building door (Figure 15). The rooms were connected to each other by a sofa. Windows and doors generally had the same characteristics.
Figure 15: Housing
Two-storey houses, on the other hand, are buildings with a symmetrical plan and a middle sofa. They had an inner courtyard behind. The ground floor and the upper floor have the same plan scheme. While the plan scheme was designed as rooms connected to the sofa, the balcony was used on the upper floor.
The traditional residential architecture of Cyprus, which has survived to the present day, includes the formation of common features throughout the historical process.
Pervin Abohorlu Doğramacı
Dr. Architect
