Roof Bird
The city of Kuşadası, whose history dates back to the 9th century BC, acquired its present form in the 17th century during the time of Öküz Mehmet Pasha, who served as Grand Vizier twice. Pasha surrounded the city with walls and had a complex built consisting of an inn, a bathhouse, and a mosque. The core settlement of the present-day city is the area enclosed by these walls, which can be described as Kaleiçi (the old town), a protected urban heritage site showcasing some of the finest examples of Mediterranean architecture. This settlement, comprising the Camikebir and Dağ neighborhoods, later expanded beyond the city walls.
The buildings located within the Urban Conservation Area are generally positioned flush with the street and have gardens. The sloping streets, with their stepped layout and street fountains, give these buildings a distinctive appearance.
While windows are absent from the lower floors of the buildings, sliding windows and bay windows are found on the upper floors. The gable roofs, covered with traditional Turkish tiles and lacking gutters, feature various floral motifs and eaves decorated with Baghdad-style concave eaves. Many examples of civil architecture in these buildings are thought to be inspired by the numerous pigeons on Pigeon Island, which gave Kuşadası its name.
These birds, crafted from baked clay and each artist's own interpretation, were prepared on-site and placed on the eaves, and many have survived to this day. The birds vary in appearance; some are arranged with their wings spread, while others depict a bird holding an egg.
It is our shared wish that an inventory of the fringed birds, which give Kuşadası its name and create its unique appearance, be prepared, replicas be made, and that this characteristic be preserved by using them in the houses in the old town of Kuşadası.
Ümit Özkan
