I am sure you have seen them as towns and villages throughout Anatolia are filled with traditional stone homes that have housed generations. They may seem small from the outside, but believe me their functionality is large, especially if you understand the reasons behind some of these homes’ quirky characteristics.

So, let's deconstruct the village homes of Turkey together.

The original 'tiny house'

What is perhaps the most striking feature of the traditional village stone homes in Turkey is their size as they are truly tiny. What makes this so surprising is the fact that despite their small stature, each little homestead tends to host at least an entire nuclear family and very possibly extended members as well.

Famed for the hospitality that extends among themselves, most village homes in Turkey operate as if they have a rotating door with neighbors, friends and family regularly popping in unannounced for a tea, chat or more. Thus, while the stone homes themselves are small, most will have ample outdoor seating areas and sometimes even platforms lined with cushions to host visitors.

The majority of village homes are built in "Imece" style, which is a concept in Turkey that means members of the community volunteer their efforts and skills to build something together. This may be one of the main reasons these homes are basic, but building small has just always seemed to be the norm in Anatolia perhaps spanning back to the region’s nomadic heritage. But there are other reasons traditional homes in Turkey are small such as practicality and interestingly enough sometimes pirates, but more on that later...

From ancient civilizations

Traditional village homes in Turkey are made out of a medley of stone and mortar, or in other words a mixture of mud and cob to bind the stones together. Many times, the stones are uncut and chosen simply for the size and structure and are laid in top of each other like brickwork with a mortar mixture laid in between. A style of building studied to span back to the Hittites, it’s not surprising that there have been occasions in which historically significant stones simply lying around in the vicinity have been used to build later structures. While admittedly it seems not much thought is given to design, as the stonework on these houses tends to be simple, the design itself offers immense insulation in both cold and hot weather. The stones used can be upwards of a half-meter-thick, meaning these homes on the inside are even smaller than they appear from outdoors.

The windows

What I have always found most striking about village homes are their windows, which logic would argue should open up to the spectacular views they could have, but don’t. In fact, the windows in a traditional home do not measure up to the homes in a modern build in many ways. First of all they tend to be tiny and secondly none are placed with the intention of viewing the vista. While the outside of a home could have the most spectacular view imaginable, from inside these homes most times you can’t actually see it. And the reason for this is because of pirates!

Yes, it’s true, in the 14th to 16th centuries, villages were established in the crooks and crannies of mountains to prevent visibility from pirates along the coast. This is especially true of course for the villages lining the mountainous terrain of the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. Homes were built to appear hidden and windows were set in a way that when light shone from them it would not be visible from the sea.

An outdoor fireplace?

Most Turkish homes will have a huge (approximately meter-squared) fireplace, however in most occasions this fireplace will actually be outdoors. This is because in Turkey, these fireplaces are used for the purpose of cooking and not for offering heat indoors. These fireplaces are instantaneously transformed into wood-burning ovens to bake bread in and to prepare the wonderful homecooked dishes that are stewed on an open fire.

An indoor stove

In another Turkish twist, while the fireplace is used for cooking and is outdoors, a stove, in Turkish referred to as a "Soba" is what is used to heat the home. These wonderfully efficient stoves may sometimes even include its own oven in which food is also prepared, but the top of the stove heater is most definitely always used to keep a pot of tea brewed and water boiling.

The divan sofa

The Turks have understandable perfected the art of the "divan," which could best be described in English as a "sofa," but is in fact so much more. The divan consists of wall-to-wall seating that are usually bed-like bases covered in mats and cushions. This sort of seating allows for a lot of people to sit and sleep comfortably if needed. The square-shaped seating arrangement also allows for total visibility for conversations and there tends to be an open space in the center of rooms, which by the way are also all covered with rugs. The rugs, matts and other textiles tend to be made out of wool and felt as these materials are said to repel insects from entering the home.

The divine 'sofra'

The most important reason living rooms in traditional homes in Turkey tend to have open spaces in the center of them is because in villages and especially up until recent decades, meals could be shared on a huge copper tray placed on a stand in the center of the floor. Those dining will then sit on the floor around the tray and pick from the selection of dishes and pantry items spread out, which are consumed with a healthy helping of bread.

Most of the traditional homes in Turkey will have painstakingly prepared pantries of preserved noodles, pickles, pastes, molasses and jams. Most households bake their own bread, make their own cheese and yogurt and grow their own olives and produce all of which are proudly enjoyed and shared at meals that can be created in the blink of an eye yet are absolutely delicious!

Beware of the Alaturka!

I will end this with one warning and that is to be aware that toilets in traditional Turkish village homes are different than those we are familiar with. You see, the toilets that most readers probably use today are sit-down in style, which is referred to as "Alafranga" in Turkish, but the original toilets in these homes tend to be of the "Alaturka" variation, which for all intents and purposes is basically a hold in the ground.

Now for those unfamiliar with this style of toilet, the Alaturka, which is also tiled and has a flush and all of the amenities one would need, requires squatting rather than sitting. However, this style of toilet, while difficult for the newcomer, is actually cleaner and certainly healthier as many villagers will have honed their skills of squatting both in the garden or the toilet – and that literally means they have fewer hip replacements in the future!