Questioning the National Origins of Vernacular Houses: The case of the Northern Aegean Region, before and after the population exchange

Abstract

The relation of ethnicity to architecture remains a relevant topic for discussion, and ethnically based concepts, such as the Turkish, Macedonian, or Greek House, are still valid in the literature on vernacular houses. However, in such geographies as the Mediterranean, marked by a richness of ethnic and cultural diversity, a definition of vernacular architecture by ethnic-based means is problematic. Literature on vernacular houses shows a lack of objective local research based upon concrete data. Instead, research has focused on the notion of 'nation', which is more controversial. Generalising vernacular architecture to national origin has neglected the characteristics and unique data of each region. Accordingly, the chief purpose of this study is to contribute to a critical approach to the literature that identifies ethnicity as the key determinant of the vernacular of traditional houses by closing the gap left by local research - and this by means of a case study on vernacular houses along the southern coastline of canakkale, Turkey.