POPULAR ARCHITECTURAL TRADITION IN THE BALKANS AND THE PRESENT PROBLEMS

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1 POPULAR ARCHITECTURAL TRADITION IN THE BALKANS AND THE PRESENT PROBLEMS I. OVERVIEW 1. In the eyes of the average West-European of the early 20 th Century, the Balkans and Asia Minor, constituted an exotic unity, having as a major characteristic, the parallel co-existence and often interference of many nations and civilizations, with evident local peculiarities. Even today, this point of view does not seem to have changed a lot. 2. Nevertheless, under this complicated surface aspect, there is at a deeper level- a cultural background, common for all the nations in the Balkans. 3. This is a valid irrespective of the differences in their language, religion, or origin. 4. This common cultural background is manifested in many aspects of the people s life, from the sounds of the local popular music and the fairy-tales of the grandmother, to the daily habits, the proverbs, the wishes, as well as the insults, which are common for all the nations in the region. 5. Its creation is an outcome of the constant communication of the populations in the wider area of the Balkans, from deep antiquity to today, sometimes through trade, sometimes through immigration and sometimes through war. 6. Talking about popular culture, we automatically distinguish it from the culture of the ruling class which, through its participation in the exercising of power, models a way of life often very different and certainly more adaptable to the changes in the structure of power, compared to the way of life of the popular classes, whose participation in the exercising of power, is generally very small or nonexistent. 7. However, we must not forget that between them, there is a dynamic dialectic inter-influence, more or less intense which penetrates all intermediate social classes. As a result, cultural characteristics of the ruling class are incorporated in the traditions of the popular classes; and the opposite, the ruling class, adopts characteristics of the popular culture an attitude that facilitates the exercising of power. 8. Examining now as to the main carrier of popular culture, we must turn ourselves to the agricultural levels of the population, the technicians, the simple artisans and the owners of small shops. 9. In these classes, evolution is very slow. Sometimes, centuries or millennia are necessary in order to see radical changes taking place. In this aspect, popular cultures have a long duration and this is the characteristic that insures the continuity in the tradition.

2 II. TRADITION AND DURATION 10. Focusing our interest on the popular architectural of the Balkans, we at once realise, that the preserved architectural heritage belongs almost exclusively, to the past two or two and half centuries. 11. However, the short period of time covered by the preserved examples of popular Architecture, does not constitute an obstacle for the study of a period of time much earlier than the 18 th Century, as these examples, reproduce in general a long-lived tradition in the art of building and perpetuate it. 12. This is in general valid for every popular Art, which reproduces almost unchanged, throughout centuries and millennia, forms and methods of construction. 13. Here we must mention the obvious similarities that exist between the different preserved samples of popular architecture in all Balkan Countries. 14. These similarities are due to the fact that the builders of these buildings, the Master-Builder or Kalfas, were often members of mixed guilds, which had very old and common tradition and experience in the art of building. 15. Regardless of their origin, their religion and their language, these Kalfas traveled with their companies all around the region of the Balkans and Asia Minor, constructing all types of buildings for all the nations of this large territory. III. THE YARD AND THE HAYAT 16. As an example for the continuity of the popular architectural tradition. I present you the plans of three popular houses in the center of Athens, which belong to three different periods of History (picture 1). 17. The first was built during the 5 th Century BC; namely during the Classical Period. 18. The second belongs to the 12 th Century AD; namely to the Byzantine Period. 19. The third is a house of the early 20 th Century at N o 30 Assomaton Street in Athens. 20. These three examples of popular urban housing, cover a period of time of almost years and connect us to the roots or popular Architecture in Greece. Their similarities are obvious. -2-

3 21. There are many other similar examples from other districts of the Balkans and of Asia Minor, which indicates that the continuity of the popular architectural tradition in this large area has been uninterrupted from antiquity up to the beginning or our century, despite the large upheavals, that have occurred during these centuries. 22. For example, the houses of ancient Olynthos, Pella etc. compared to the popular houses in Veria, Siatista, etc. in the north of Greece (picture 2). 23. Or the ancient houses of Priene, of Delos, of Side, οf Apollonia etc. compared to the popular houses of the past two centuries, built in the corresponding areas. 24. The main common characteristic in all these houses is the arrangement of the spaces around a yard, the ancient Atrium. There are many local variations in the composition, but the main arrangement remains the same. 25. A second characteristic, is a light wooden construction that forms a covered space, open to the yard (picture 3). It serves as a wide corridor for the rooms behind it. In the case where there is an upper floor, it has two levels and communicates with the yard via a staircase. 26. This porch is known as Hayat in all Balkan languages and corresponds to the space called pastas in the ancient houses of Macedonia (picture 4). 27. The relationship of the yard with the interior of the house changed often during the centuries, when reasons of safety were imposed, in order to keep the ground floor locked. 28. In those times, the life of the house was concentrated mainly in the upper floors and the daily function of the yard, was undertaken by the Hayat, which ceased being a simple corridor, as it was enlarged considerably, in order to cover multiple functions. 29. This enlarged Hayat was also called Tchardak or Sofa. It was a central element in the planning of the floor and determined the general lay-out of the rooms of the house around it. His form had a lot of variations depending on the social class of the owner of the house. IV. THE SAHNISI 30. Another common characteristic of the Balkan traditional Architecture is the typical projection of the upper floor over the street, which has been conceived in order to enlarge, or to quadrate the spaces (picture 5). This is the so-called Sahnisi -a common term in the Balkan countries from the Ottoman Period. -3-

4 31. The Sahnisi corresponds to the Heliakos of the Roman and Byzantine periods. There were special urban regulations regarding their size and position, with respect to the buildings on the opposite side of the street and to the width of the street, in order to ensure the best possible lighting and ventilation of the spaces. 32. Similar constructions are shown in building representations in many byzantine wall paintings, icons, and manuscripts. 33. The Sahnisi is the title of an extensive Study of Professor Nikolaos Moutsopoulos on this subject, which has been edited in Thessaloniki in 1988, and constitutes an important contribution in the study of the common architectural heritage of the Balkans. V. THE MINDER 34. Another common peculiarity of the traditional houses of the Balkans regardless of the origin, the language and the religion of the owners or the builders, -is the so- called Minder a bench with pillows that runs around the three of the four walls of the room, in the shape of a U and which was used for seating or for sleeping (picture 6). 35. It seems that this disposition also has its origin in antiquity. 36. It reminds us of the classical layout of the symposium beds, in the men s reception room, that existed in every house of a free citizen in classical times (picture 7). 37. In the Roman and later in the Byzantine periods, the perimetric disposition of beds has been replaced with the construction of fixed benches all along the three walls of the reception room. 38. This is the so-called Triklinion which in Greek means three beds. 39. Between the byzantine Triklinion and the Minder of the Ottoman period, there is no substantial difference. 40. I think it is not necessary to insist on many other similarities in the traditional popular architecture in the Balkan countries, whose origins go back many centuries before our time. VI. THE CONFUSION IN RESEARCH 41. Looking at the bibliography concerning the traditional architecture of the Balkans, we observe that there are many editions in every Balkan country, referring to isolated buildings or complexes and to specific areas or districts. -4-

5 42. These editions and the relevant research and studies are realized separately within the borders of the National States, which have been created in the lands of the former Ottoman Empire and provide a fragmented and incomplete picture of the totality of the Balkan space. 43. Until recent times most of these authors try to accentuate the peculiarity or the importance of their own national heritage in order to distinguish this from the cultural heritage of neighboring countries. 44. There is not any synthetic studies of the complete Balkan area and Asia Minor, that thoroughly exhausts the subject of popular architecture, utilizing correctly all the material that has been preserved. Such a study is certainly not an easy one, nor can it be the project of only one person. 45. Therefore, it is necessary to begin such a collective work with the collaboration of researchers from all the Balkan Countries in order to dissolve confusions and misunderstandings. VII. CONCLUSIONS 46. I may close this brief report, by mentioning the most important conclusions from my researches until now: 47. Almost all existing samples of popular architecture in the Balkans and Asia Minor belong to the period between the 18 th and the early 20 th Centuries. 48. In spite of local peculiarities, they present so many similarities to each other, from all points of view (functional, structural, morphological or decorative), we can therefore talk about a unique architectural tradition in this large territory, regardless of the origin, language and religion of the users or creators of the buildings. 49. This tradition was basically formed many centuries ago and its roots date back to the deep antiquity. 50. Its geographic center is situated in the lands around the Aegean and the Marmara sea, two seas that facilitate the connection between the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor (picture 8). 51. These same seas were crossed during the following centuries by various influences from the West and the East, which were assimilated creatively and which contributed to the formation of the unique character of the traditional architecture of the Balkans. 52. The carriers of this tradition were the Masterbuilders or Kalfas the members of guilds who crossed the Balkans and Asia Minor, building churches and mosques, bridges and hamams, palaces and simple houses. 53. The Kalfas and their «Companies» came from all the different nations of the Ottoman Empire and each one of them contributed the experiences of his past to the common works. -5-

6 54. All the nations of the Balkans are therefore co-creators and heirs of a very old architectural tradition, which remains alive up to now and thus, it is one of the oldest in the world. 55. Only after the 2 nd World War the mass invasion of alien life and technological standards, together with unbalanced economical growth, threaten to extinguish the monuments of this tradition, while at the same time deforming the cultural identity of the area and dissolving the old strong bonds between the peoples of the Balkans. 56. Farther more, there are still dangers from bloody and destructive confrontations like these in former Yugoslavia, which have already deprived the Balkan nations of an important part of their cultural heritage, a fact that makes our mobilization even more urgent. 57. It must be realized in all Balkan countries that all monuments, without exceptions, religious or secular, together with all the existing traditional settlements, are common cultural heritage of all the peoples of our area. They do not belong to a single nation. They belong to all of us. And they need a common policy for their protection and valorization. 58. The nations of the Balkans, instead of being dragged into petty and dangerous rivalries, have the duty to enforce the existing bonds between them and to cooperate in saving their common heritage. 59. I consider this congress as a step in the right direction and I hope many other steps will follow in the future. Dimitrios Psarros October

7 INDICATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Nur AKIN The Common Characteristics of Anatolian and Balkan Houses during the Ottoman Period. Στον Τόμο «Housing and Settlement in Anatolia» (Habitat II) Έκδοση «Tarih Vakfi», Istanbul, σ Celal Esad ARSEVEN L Art Turc Istanbul Σπύρος ΑΣΔΡΑΧΑΣ Η οικονομική Δομή των Βαλκανικών Χωρών (15 ος 19 ος αιώνας) Αθήνα 1979, Εκδόσεις ΜΕΛΙΣΣΑ 4. Απόστολος ΒΑΚΑΛΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ Ιστορία του Νέου Ελληνισμού Θεσσαλονίκη Fernand BRAUDEL La Méditerranée et le monde Méditerranéen Paris (3eme edition) 6. Slobodan ČURČIČ Ευαγγελία ΧΑΤΖΗΤΡΥΦΩΝΟΣ Κοσμική Μεσαιωνική Αρχιτεκτονική στα Βαλκάνια Θεσσαλονίκη Sedad Haki ELDEM a. Köskler ve Kasirlar (2 τόμοι) Istanbul 1969 & 1974 b. Turkish Houses (2 τόμοι) c. Turk Odasi (5 τόμοι) Gusel Sanatlar, Istanbul Dogan ERGINBAS Diyarbakir Evleri Istanbul Ιωάννης ΚΟΝΤΗΣ Η Λέσβος και η Μικρασιατική της περιοχή Έκδοση Αθηναϊκού Κέντρου Οικιστικής Αθήνα Anthony KRIEZIS Greek Town Building Athens Onder KÜCÜKERMAN Anadolu daki Geleneksel Turk Evinde Odalar Istanbul Άρης ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΙΔΗΣ Τα παληά Αθηναϊκά Σπίτια Αθήνα 1983 (Β Έκδοση) 13. Ρέα ΛΕΩΝΙΔΟΠΟΥΛΟΥ ΣΤΥΛΙΑΝΟΥ Μακρυνίτσα, Αθήνα Γεώργιος Α. ΜΕΓΑΣ Μελέται Λαϊκής Αρχιτεκτονικής Δελτίο Ελληνικής Λαογραφικής Εταιρείας τόμος ΚΣΤ Αθήναι Βλαδίμηρος ΜΙΡΜΙΡΟΓΛΟΥ Οι Δερβίσαι Αθήναι Παναγιώτης Α. ΜΙΧΕΛΗΣ Το Ελληνικό Λαϊκό Σπίτι Έκδοση Ε.Μ.Π, Αθήνα 1977 (Β Έκδοση) 17. Κωστής ΜΟΣΚΩΦ Η Εθνική και Κοινωνική συνείδηση στην Ελλάδα Αθήνα

8 18. Νικόλαος Κ. ΜΟΥΤΣΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ α) Η αρχιτεκτονική μας κληρονομιά Θεσσαλονίκη 1983 β) Η λαϊκή Αρχιτεκτονική της Βεροίας Αθήνα 1967 (Έκδοση ΤΕΕ) γ) Η αρχιτεκτονική προεξοχή. Το σαχνισί Θεσσαλονίκη Αριστείδης ΠΑΣΑΔΑΙΟΣ Η λαϊκή αρχιτεκτονική της Ίμβρου Αθήνα Robert L. SCRANTON Greek Architecture New York 1967 (3 η Έκδοση) 21. Necati SEN Rize den 5 Ev. (5 Σπίτια στην πόλη Ριζούς του Πόντου) Istanbul Teknik Univesitesi Husrev TAYLA The Hakimoglu Mansion (1796 μ.χ Τρωάδα) Περιοδικό TURKISH TREAUSURES 1978/1 23. Yilmaz TOSUN Kula Evleri Izmir Ulya VOGT- GÖKNIL TURQUIE OTTOMANE Σειρά Architecture Universelle Fribourg, Suisse 1965 COLLECTIVE EDITIONS 1. Βαλκανική Παραδοσιακή Αρχιτεκτονική Σειρά του εκδοτικού οίκου ΜΕΛΙΣΣΑ 2. GIOYNUK (BOLU) Middle East Technikal University Ankara 1970 Αθήνα Δελτία του Κέντρου Μικρασιατικών Σπουδών Τόμοι 1 έως 10 Αθήνα 4. Εκκλησίες στην Ελλάδα μετά την Άλωση Σειρά 5 τόμων Έκδοση ΕΜΠ Αθήνα Επώνυμα αρχοντικά των χρόνων της Τουρκοκρατίας Έκδοση ΕΜΠ, Αθήνα Η Σινασός της Καππαδοκίας Έκδοση Ελληνικής Εταιρείας & Σωματείου Νέα Σινασός Αθήνα 1986 (ΑΓΡΑ) 7. Ιστορία του Ελληνικού Έθνους ΕΚΔΟΤΙΚΗ ΑΘΗΝΩΝ 8. ΜΙΚΡΑΣΙΑΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ Τόμοι Α έως Κ Έκδοσεις Ένωσης Σμυρναίων Αθήνα 9. Monumente e Arkitektures ne Shqiperi Έκδοση Instituti I Monumenteve te Kultures Τίρανα