FROM NATURE TO ART: THE BUTTON BUILDINGS OF AKSEKI

Abstract

This study covers some cases in various building types which are mostly encountered in Akseki, a town in the northeast of Antalya, and constructed through a local technique called ‘button masonry’. As known, the material choice in architecture is determined with architectural traditions and economic factors along with such environmental conditions as climate and geography. Situated on the slopes of Taurus Mountains, Akseki has a mountainous and forested geography. Thus, this situation features wood and rubble stone as construction materials much more than other potential components. The usage of wood and rubble stone together without any binding material does not seem to be possible at first glance. However, the local people, who are intertwined with nature and the environment, has managed to transform these two materials, which are incompatible with each other, into art with an extraordinary craftmanship. This solution produced by the local people can be defined as a dry masonry wall made of rubble stone, supported by longitudinal and vertical wooden beams. Since the edges of the beams protrude 20-25 cm outward, this technique is referred ‘button wall’ by the local people. The implementation of this masonry system in traditional domestic architecture in Akseki and its vicinity has laid the groundwork for the buildings mentioned to be called button houses. We also decided to call other buildings constructed with this technique as button buildings. The field survey conducted by us in a way that involves all the villages of Akseki has determined 24 edifices in total, which are of nine village chambers, six mosques, four school buildings, two mills, two hans and a madrassah, constructed with the technique button masonry. Since the main objective of this study is to attract attention to the usage of the technique button masonry on the various types of building in the region, six edifices, one case from each building group, are included in the catalogue. The rest of the buildings are referred in the discussion chapter. However, it was found out during the field survey that many mosques in button masonry were demolished and new ones were built instead. The situation is nearly similar for the village chambers. Thus, these edifices identified by us in the field survey constitute a very small part of the buildings constructed with the button masonry surviving to the present. Some of the edifices identified were published by us before. However, the mills, hans, madrassah and school buildings have been handled for the first time in this study. Thus, all the buildings which have been constructed in the region through the technique button masonry will be assessed collectively in this paper. The population living in the villages of Akseki has decreased considerably due to the economic reasons. Some of the villages are completely deserted. This situation leads the buildings to stay out of life and collapse. In the upcoming period, the village economy based on animal husbandry should be revived and these environmentally friendly local people should be returned to their villages. This will be one of the vital steps that supports the health of button buildings in the villages. In addition, these cases unique to Akseki should be restored with traditional methods in accordance with their original form in order to be presented to the touristic activities, and thus be turned into a source of income for local people. The village life should be made attractive with the steps to be taken. The transfer of these unique representatives of Turkish folk architecture and culture in Akseki to the future generations can only be achieved in this way.