Investigation of Rural Religious Architecture on Çamlıdere Çukurören and Kargalar Village Mosques

Abstract

It is very important to preserve and transfer the works of rural architecture, which are shaped according to the unique lifestyle, traditions, climatic conditions, geographical location, production and consumption styles of each region, to future generations. Within the scope of this study, Kargalar (Elmalı) Village and Çukurören Village Mosques in Ankara Province, Çamlıdere District were discussed in terms of their art history and architectural features, materials and construction techniques and ornament programs, and the structures were examined in terms of rural religious architectural values. The main reason for this research is that the studies on the rural religious architectural heritage in the region are very limited and few in number. The sample buildings consist of a longitudinally rectangular planned prayer hall and a narthex that was closed later in the north. The use of local materials such as wood and soil in the structures built with a masonry system using rubble stone, the wooden bagdadi dome in the Kargalar Village Mosque, the slatted wooden ceiling in the Çukurören Village Mosque, the traditional construction elements such as wooden studs in the mahfil floors, the colorful hand-drawn decorations in the interiors and the asymmetrical window arrangement are the main rural architectural values of the buildings. Within the scope of the study, literature and archive scanning related to the buildings and field studies were carried out before and during the repair phases. A better evaluation of the rural architectural elements in the buildings was provided by considering the data such as the decorations, original masonry and materials obtained during the restoration applications of the buildings in 2018-2019. With this study, it is aimed to contribute to the limited studies in the field of rural religious architecture and to shed light on the design and repair of similar structures in the region by examining two examples of rural religious architecture in terms of the use of traditional materials, traditional construction techniques and the preservation of original architectural elements.