Safranbolu, a little town once known for its Safran production and trading is also one of the last places where you can see an Ottoman style town with it’s particular architecture still intact. These types of house were once found throughout Anatolia, Greece and the Balkans. Even though they varied according to local building materials and the wealth and size of the families they housed, they all shared the same architectural style: A solid ground floor often built in stone (reserved for hay storage,animals, carriages and services, etc.) and much lighter timber-framed upper floors. Those houses were then painted rather in red tone in Istanbul whereas in Safranbolu they were painted in white. What is interesting is, when they had 2 floors, often the ceiling of the 1st floor was much lower than the 2nd floor, making the 1st floor keep warmer in the winter and the 2nd floor be cooler in the summer. Do you know why?

Photo taken at: Safranbolu

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