Homes with Istanbul Views from Both Sides of the Aegean

Associate Professor Nihal Uluengin's new book, which meticulously examines Istanbul depictions in wall paintings found in 18th and 19th-century homes in Anatolia and Greece, former Ottoman territories, titled Houses with Istanbul Views from Both Sides of the Aegean, has been published by YEM Yayın.

In the first half of the 18th century, following the Tulip Period, the Westernization movement that emerged in Istanbul quickly spread throughout Ottoman lands. Particularly in the second half of the 18th century, Western influences infiltrating architectural ornamentation were seen as "wall paintings" on the walls of buildings, both in Istanbul, the capital of the empire, and in various other regions. Wall paintings entered not only imperial palaces and wealthy mansions but also religious buildings such as mosques; their application was not limited to Istanbul but extensively spread to many parts of Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and Rumelia.

"The number of houses and mansions with paintings on their walls in Turkey and Greece is far greater than those examined in this book. However, this study generally covers houses containing paintings of Istanbul, or an image from Istanbul, or paintings widely believed to be of Istanbul; specifically, it includes houses that contain paintings that can be described as 'Classic Istanbul Views,' encompassing iconic symbols of Istanbul such as the Maiden's Tower, the Galata region, the Historical Peninsula, and the Anatolian side.

In 2000, I was awarded a research fellowship from the Onassis Foundation, based in Athens, and went to Athens for a month. The subject of my research was to examine 'Traditional Greek Houses' on site, as showcased in Melissa Publishing's more than 30 publications, which covered traditional houses found in remote villages of Greece. For this purpose, one day I went to the village of Ambelakia in the city of Larissa, located in Central Greece, to see the Evthymiadis and Georgios Schwarz mansions. While touring these houses, the depictions of Istanbul on the main room walls greatly surprised me; they were very similar to the Istanbul depictions I had seen in the Çakırağa and Sandıkoğlu mansions in Birgi, both in terms of drawing, colors, and style. Later, seeing Istanbul depictions on the main room walls of houses I visited in Siatista and Kastoria in northern Greece, and Molivos and Petra on Lesbos Island, both deeply surprised me and further piqued my curiosity. Consequently, I wanted to conduct a comparative study, from an architect's perspective, on the 'Istanbul depictions in wall paintings' I had seen in both countries, and thus this book came into being..."

The book examines a total of eighteen selected mansions/houses, nine from Turkey and nine from Greece. While the plans, sections, and elevations of the structures are provided to indicate the locations of the wall paintings, the Istanbul-related paintings within them are shared in their entirety and with details.

WHO IS ASSOC. PROF. DR. NİHAL (YÖNEY) ULUENGİN?

Born in Istanbul in 1946, she enrolled in the Department of Architecture at the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts (Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University) in 1964 and graduated in 1972. In 1976, she began her career as an assistant in the Department of Architecture at Kadıköy State Engineering and Architecture School. In 1982, upon an invitation from King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, she went to Saudi Arabia and worked as a research architect at the Hajj Research Center of the same university until 1986. In 1983, she completed her doctoral thesis titled "The Development of Window Openings in Ottoman-Turkish Civil Architecture" at Mimar Sinan University and received her "doctor" title in the Restoration Program.
In 1987, she started working as a full-time Dr. Lecturer at Yıldız Technical University, Department of Architecture.
She became an Assistant Professor in 1991. In 2003, she voluntarily retired from Yıldız Technical University and continued her work as a part-time Assistant Professor at Haliç University, Faculty of Architecture, and Bahçeşehir University, Faculty of Architecture and Design. Nihal Uluengin, who became an Associate Professor in 2019, has been working full-time at Haliç University, Faculty of Architecture, since the 2019-2020 academic year. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nihal Uluengin has written numerous papers and articles related to her area of expertise, and has carried out survey and project studies. She has participated in national and international symposia (Sudan, Yemen, Jordan, Tunisia, Sri Lanka, and the USA) and presented papers. Dr. Uluengin's doctoral thesis, titled The Development of Window Openings in Ottoman-Turkish Civil Architecture, was published by YEM Yayın in 1998 (1st edition) and 2000 (2nd edition). Nihal Uluengin continues her new publication endeavors.