From Physical Construction to Textual Construction: History of Architecture in Turkey
The shaping of the sphere of architectural knowledge in the modern sense is directly related to the institutionalization and professionalization of architecture. In a process starting from the 15th century, architectural history began to constitute an independent sphere of knowledge by the end of the 20th century. This paper first tackles the relationship of architectural history with the general literature of architecture. Then it elaborates on this analysis by establishing an information network between the three main fields separating from architecture, the present sub-fields of architectural knowledge and related disciplines like art history and urban history. Hence an infrastructure will be laid for an analysis of the literature of architectural history. The real focus of the paper will be the course of the history and the historiography of architecture in Turkey. This course will be exemplified with leading works from the Antiquity, Byzantium, Seljuks, Ottomans and the Republican Period. As can be understood from the subheadings, each study period will be interpreted through some concepts. In the end, the new orientation of the field of architectural history will be pointed out.
HALİL İBRAHİM DÜZENLİ
