Odunpazarı Evleri

Odunpazarı is the original nucleus of Eskişehir and was built on the slopes of the hills south of the city. The district takes its name from the market set up here by traders who brought firewood from the surrounding villages to sell. Until the Middle Ages the city was known as Dorylaion, and when the Turks settled in the region they called it "the old city" after the ruins of the ancient town. According to a folk tale retold by Odunpazarı Municipality, the first settlers hung a sheep's liver on the bank of the Porsuk and another on today's Odunpazarı hill to choose a place to live. It is said that the liver on the hill spoiled later, so the first settlement was founded here. The houses you see today carry the civil architecture of the Ottoman period, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's promotion platform counts them among the finest examples of 19th-century civil architecture. Winding lanes, dead-end streets and attached houses with bay windows and carved wooden decoration preserve the fabric of the district as a whole. The facades facing the street are projecting and set on brackets, which means the upper floors jut out over the lower floor towards the street. Some of the houses stand out with brilliant white walls and brown window frames, others with indigo blue or tile red paint. The houses were generally built in two types; in the first the entrance opens directly from the street and the garden lies behind, in the second the house sits inside its garden with the garden in front. In houses of one, two or three storeys, the rooms are arranged around a central hall called a sofa. The ground floor usually held the kitchen, stable, laundry or storeroom, while the family lived on the upper floors. The corner room on the front facade, with windows opening in two directions, is the largest and most important room of the house. Turkish Wikipedia notes that these houses share architectural features and motifs with the dwellings of Safranbolu, Beypazarı and Göynük. In the 20th century the district lost its importance as a residential area. The TDV Encyclopedia of Islam writes that some houses of historic and architectural value disappeared when Şeyh Şehabeddin Avenue, which links Odunpazarı to the city centre, was opened. When the value of the houses came back onto the agenda, the district was declared a historic conservation area, and today it is protected as a "Historic and Urban Site". Within Odunpazarı Municipality's project to keep the Odunpazarı Houses alive, 300 houses on 30 streets, 3 mosques, 1 complex, 2 caravanserais, 15 fountains and 1 inn were restored or faithfully rebuilt. According to the Odunpazarı Modern Museum, the district is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. Evliya Çelebi praised the city's houses with their vineyards and gardens in his Book of Travels, and five of the streets he mentioned still carry the same names today. The natural starting point of a walk is the area between the streets where the houses are densest and the Kurşunlu Complex. The provincial culture directorate stresses that the complex, which dates from the 16th century, and the surrounding houses complement each other. After restoration many of the mansions have taken on new roles as museums, libraries or association buildings. According to the Odunpazarı Municipality guide, the Hafız Ahmet Efendi Mansion was built in 1717, the Kaymakam Mansion in 1733 and the Yağcızade Mansion in 1754. One example of the "Gül Asa", a staff carved by the meerschaum master Hafız Ahmet Efendi, is displayed today in the Anıtkabir Museum. The Yağcızade Mansion is topped by a viewing pavilion called a cihannüma, and the building is now used as the Ataol Behramoğlu Library and Museum. The Atatürk High School building is also registered as a monumental structure within the conservation plan of the Odunpazarı urban site. The district is also a stopping point for crafts such as copper work, tinning, antiques and wood carving. You can see meerschaum, the symbol of Eskişehir, both in the museum and in the workshops of the inn and the bazaars. The streets are cobbled and sloping in places, so comfortable shoes are a good idea. Most houses are homes or institutional buildings, and you can only go inside those that are open as museums or galleries. Early morning and late afternoon light are the best times to photograph the colourful facades. You can walk up to the district from the city centre along Hamamyolu Avenue. For those arriving by tram, the Odunpazarı Modern Museum's directions page points to the Atatürk Lisesi stop of the EsTram, from where a short walk leads to the streets. Check the opening days and hours of the museums in the district on their own official pages before you visit.