Throughout history, our settlements and structures have always been shaped by water. We want to be close to water both as a necessity and pleasure. In places where there is no water, a solution has been found with cisterns used as water tanks. They also have a mystery due to their closedness to the outside. Maybe that's why cisterns have always been attractive structures for me.
I first saw the Muğla cisterns while the road was flowing by quickly. I had wanted to research them since I learned that these huge domed structures were cisterns. In this article, we will follow my curiosity together.
I have read a lot about cisterns, Reha Günay's Bodrum book has been a work that I have read again and again because of the way it explains structural development and Deniz Çiler Erkan's article's perspective.
Reha Günay explains the difference between the structures in the Bodrum peninsula and traditional Anatolian architecture in his book Bodrum: "Since the peninsula's road connection is weak, it necessitates that all building materials are transported by caravans and building materials can be used in certain sizes. Therefore, the Bodrum House type has small rooms and windows. Another advantage of the caravan layout is the cisterns lined up along the road." Cisterns were built at intervals of 500-1,000 meters and since the route is the same today, we see domed cisterns like strings of pearls along the road.
The cisterns in Bodrum are called Kumbet, Gümbet. Kumbet is a word of Persian origin and means dome-mound.
The structure itself is named after a dome. But why was a dome used? Why are they above ground? This is what I am really curious about. In other regions, cisterns are underground, in the form of large vaulted water tanks.
According to Reha Günay, another reason why the structures of the Bodrum region differ from traditional Anatolian architecture is that the types of structures left by the local people who lived in the early period were seized, owned and continued by the Turkmens in the 13th century. The building tradition shaped in the early periods of history has not changed much here.
So, the domes emerged from the geography and rainfall conditions of this place. When you think about it, rain falls in this region as if it was poured from a bucket in the winter months. Suddenly, a heavy downpour, then the bright sun. Indeed, Muğla is the 4th province in Turkey with the most rainfall. Despite the heavy rainfall in the winter months, there is almost no rain in the summer months. How is this pouring rain stored for months? It is quickly collected from the domes and stored in closed storages that are half buried underground (that is, benefiting from the constant heat feature of the underground). Here is the answer.
Let's look at the structural features. The dome, which is 7-8 meters in diameter, is supported by cylindrical walls. These walls form an outer skirt under the dome. There were small openings along this skirt. Almost half of the cisterns are buried. You can enter through their small doors and go down the stairs. When the water level drops in the summer months, you go down the stairs and fill the troughs at the entrance with buckets. There may be stone protrusions on the wall to store items. Horasan mortar-plaster is used to hold water inside the cistern. Structural elements called alem can be seen on the dome.
There are many projects and ideas produced to protect these lovely structures, most of which have survived to the present day. Projects to re-function the cisterns as a solution to the water problem experienced in Bodrum, especially in the summer, are frequently discussed. I think the real value of the cisterns is their water collection and storage mechanics in this region. They remain in place to guide rain harvesting by modernizing traditional methods.
We should revive the cisterns and look inside them to hear their mysterious stories. Maybe they will whisper to us what they want for their new functions.
WHISPERING OF BODRUM CISTERNS
Seda Öztek
14 minutes ago
2 minutes read
Throughout history, our settlements and structures have always been shaped by water. We want to be close to water both as a necessity and pleasure. In places where there is no water, a solution has been found with cisterns used as water tanks. They also have a mystery due to their closedness to the outside. Maybe that's why cisterns have always been attractive structures for me.
I first saw the Muğla cisterns while the road was flowing by quickly. I had wanted to research them since I learned that these huge domed structures were cisterns. In this article, we will follow my curiosity together.
I have read a lot about cisterns, Reha Günay's Bodrum book has been a work that I have read again and again because of the way it explains structural development and Deniz Çiler Erkan's article's perspective.
Reha Günay explains the difference between the buildings in the Bodrum Peninsula and traditional Anatolian architecture in his book Bodrum: "Since the peninsula has poor road connections, all building materials have to be transported by caravans, and building materials can only be used in certain sizes. For this reason, the Bodrum House type has small rooms and windows. Another benefit of the caravan system is the cisterns lined up along the road."
Cisterns were built at intervals of 500-1,000 meters and since the route is the same today, we follow the domed cisterns like strings of pearls along the road.
The cisterns in the basement are called Kumbet, Gümbet. Kumbet is a word of Persian origin and means dome-mound.
The structure itself is named after a dome. But why was a dome used? Why are they above ground? This is what I am really curious about. In other regions, cisterns are underground, vaulted, in the form of large water tanks.
Again, according to Reha Günay, another reason why the structures of the Bodrum region are different from traditional Anatolian architecture is that the types of structures left by the local people who lived in the region in the early period were seized, owned and continued by the Turkmens in the 13th century. The building tradition shaped in the early periods of history here has not changed much.
So the domes emerged from the geography and rainfall conditions of this place. When you think about it, In this region, rain falls like it was poured from a bucket in the winter months. Suddenly, a heavy downpour, then bright sunshine. Indeed, Muğla is the 4th province in Turkey with the most rainfall. Despite the heavy rainfall in the winter months, there is almost no rain in the summer months. How is this pouring rain stored for months? It is quickly collected from the domes and in closed storages that are half buried underground (that is, they also benefit from the constant heat feature of the underground). Here is the answer.
Let's look at the structural features. The 7-8m diameter dome is supported by cylindrical walls. These walls form an outer skirt under the dome. There were small openings lined up along this skirt. Almost half of the cisterns are buried. You can enter through their small doors and go down the stairs. When the water level drops in the summer months, water is taken from the stairs and filled into the troughs at the entrance. There may be stone protrusions on the wall to store items. Horasan mortar-plaster is used to retain water inside the cistern. Structural elements called alem can be seen on the dome.
There are many projects and ideas produced to preserve these lovely structures, most of which have survived to the present day. Especially in the summer, projects to re-function cisterns as a solution to the water problem experienced in Bodrum are frequently discussed. I think the real value of cisterns in this region is their water collection and storage mechanics. They remain in place to guide rain harvesting by modernizing traditional methods.
We should revive the cisterns and look inside to hear their mysterious stories. Maybe they will whisper to us what they want for their new functions.
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