Mardin Houses & Streets,  Mardin, Savur, Midyat  2007,2008,2015

A typical Mardin house is a stepped stone structure consisting of a semi-sheltered courtyard and terraces located on a sloping geography. The most important elements of these houses; they are spaces shaped by landscape, privacy and climatic factors. In order for all the buildings to establish a visual connection to the Mesopotamian plains in the south, the growth of the urban structure took place horizontally rather than vertically; Therefore, the main facade of Mardin houses is the South facade, which receives direct sunlight most of the day. Southeast Anatolia region is Turkey's highest level of solar radiation in the area. The settlement problem, which occurred due to the hot and arid climate, was solved with gradual building forms in order to spend time in outdoor areas. Thus, the severe impact of the climate has been taken under control by the sloping structure of the city, which receives significant wind throughout the year. The structure of Mardin houses has gone through a systematic design process. The design process continues continuously in parallel with the growth of the social unit inside the houses or the enrichment of the economic structure. Three main modules that make up the planning system; are closed, semi-open and open spaces. First of all, square-shaped closed areas (at least 4x4 m) are placed in the axle system depending on the direction of the sun, wind and landscape. Semi-open spaces, iwan and portico modules are placed on adjacent axes depending on the functions of the closed areas. Thus, semi-open living rooms where closed areas are shared are created in Mardin houses where more than one nuclear family is housed. Finally, the courtyard is placed as the main element in the area where all the rooms look into. The construction of a typical Mardin house starts from the ground floor and continues with the same modular system on the upper floors. The traditional courtyard is the central element of the house where activities are focused; It is positioned on the South facade, closed to the north facade where privacy is ensured. (Source: Arkitera, Ece Cakir Aidan)