Intersections in The City: The Ermenek Coverings

Abstract

The streets, which provide the connection between the neighborhoods, and which are the smallest structures in a city where neighborhood relations are established, and the structures of this city, present a different character in the Ermenek District of Karaman Province. The streets of this city, which are located on very rough terrain, are designed to adapt to the topography. Most of the buildings were built adjacent to each other, there are no other spaces apart from the street spaces. Therefore, as a result of bringing together the urban configuration and streets within the framework of an organic union, these passages, which allow the street to continue, are strengthened with coverings, which are called “örtme” in Turkish. The topic of the study is conducted on the following four main themes: (1) the spatial readings to be made on coverings, (2) the construction of coverings in the traditional street texture, (3) the discussion of the relations of coverings with the individual, the city, and the environment, (4) the typological classification of coverings. In this context, as the methodology of the study, field studies, that is, on-site observation, detection and documentation studies, were carried out in the first stage. Afterward, a typological classification was made by examining the place of coverings in urban fiction through literature and field studies. In conclusion, urban, spatial and physical readings of the coverings, which have an influential position in the traditional street texture, were carried out. With this study, the significance of such structures, which reflect the living culture of the people, which began to disappear by being forgotten in the rural architectural structuring, in the history of architecture and urbanism was emphasized.