Traces of a Derebey Family in the Ottoman Countryside: An Architectural Analysis of Three Mansions Built by Hasan Çavuşzade Family in Eskipazar (Karabük/Türkiye)
Despite the decline of the Ottoman Empire during the 19th century, the Viranşehir Sanjak, which encompassed a large portion of the present-day Karabük province in Türkiye, experienced a period of economic prosperity. Because of trade and production activities in the region, various individuals and families accumulated wealth and power. During the same period, with the expansion of the iltizam system, the Ottoman central authority transferred some of its powers to the sanjaks, allowing some wealthy individuals and families to gain political and military power. At that time, some of these individuals were also called “derebeys” (feudal lords). Derebey Hasan Çavuşzade Hüseyin Ağa served as the mütesellim of the sanjak in the early 19th century, gained political, military and economic power, and ultimately came into conflict with Sultan Mahmud II. This study investigates the structures built or restored by Hasan Çavuşzade Hüseyin Ağa and his family in the Viranşehir Sanjak. The research identified 25 structures with various functions -for instance, mansion, khan, Turkish bath, mosque, water mill, fountain, barn, granary, hayloft, factory, and fortification- some of which have survived to the present day. This study focuses on three mansions that have preserved their authenticity in two rural settlements in the Eskipazar district. Archival and literature reviews, genealogical research, personal interviews, and field studies were conducted, and the structures were documented and evaluated through measured drawings and photographs. We have determined that in these three structures commissioned by the Hasan Çavuşzades after losing their political and military power, they used an urban style shaped by Western and Istanbul influences in accordance with the family’s identity. In the region, we recommend that scientific research, awareness-raising activities, and feasible projects be developed for the sustainability of cultural heritage with historical document value, similar to the structures being studied.
Osmanlı Taşrasında Bir Derebey Ailesinin İzleri: Eskipazar’da (Karabük), Hasan Çavuşzade Ailesi’nin Yaptırdığı Üç Konağın Mimari İncelemesi
19. yüzyılda, günümüzdeki Karabük il sınırlarının da büyük bir bölümünü kapsayan Viranşehir sancağı, ekonomik açıdan parlak bir dönem yaşamıştır. Bölgedeki ticaret ve üretim faaliyetleri sonucunda çeşitli kişi ve aileler varlık sahibi olmuştur. Aynı dönemde, iltizam sisteminin yaygınlaştırılmasıyla, Osmanlı merkezi otoritesi, yetkilerinin bir bölümünü sancaklara devretmiş, bu sayede bazı zengin kişi ve aileler siyasi ve askerî güç elde etmiştir. O dönem, bu kişilerden bazıları “derebey” olarak da anılmıştır. Bu çalışma kapsamında, 19. yüzyılın başlarında, Osmanlı Devleti’nde, Viranşehir sancağı mütesellimi olarak görev yaparken, siyasi, askerî ve ekonomik açıdan güç kazanan ve sonunda Sultan II. Mahmud ile çatışma yaşayan, Derebey Hasan Çavuşzade Hüseyin Ağa ve ailesinin Viranşehir sancağında inşa veya tamir ettirdikleri yapılar araştırılmıştır. Araştırmada konak, han, hamam, camii, değirmen, çeşme, ahır, ambar, samanlık, fabrika ve askerî tahkimat gibi çeşitli işlevlere sahip, bir kısmı günümüze ulaşmış, toplam yirmi beş adet yapı tespit edilmiştir. Makale, bu yapılar içerisinden, Karabük’ün Eskipazar ilçesine bağlı iki kırsal yerleşimde, özgünlüğünü muhafaza etmiş üç konağa odaklanmaktadır. Arşiv ve kaynak taramaları, kişisel görüşmeler, soyağacı ve alan araştırmaları yapılmış, rölöve ve fotoğraflarla eserler belgelenmiştir. Hasan Çavuşzadeler siyasi ve askerî güçlerini kaybettikten sonra inşa ettirilen bu üç yapıda, ailenin kimliğine uygun olarak Batı ve İstanbul etkisiyle şekillenmiş şehirli bir tarzın kullanıldığı görülmektedir. Bölgede, öncelikli olarak, incelenen yapılara benzer, tarihî belge niteliği olan kültürel mirasın sürdürülebilirliği için bilimsel araştırmaların, bilinçlendirme faaliyetlerinin ve uygulanabilir projelerin geliştirilmesi önerilmektedir.
During the final years of the Ottoman Empire, the state expanded the Iltizam System in agriculturally productive lands to solve the cash shortage of the central treasury. This system was based on the principle of the government leasing the right to collect taxes on individuals for a specific time. In this manner, the state received cash payments from the lessee, referred to as the mültezim. On the other hand, mültezims appointed mütesellims to represent them. This system led to the emergence of many derebeys (feudal lords) who attempted to collect excessive taxes by exerting pressure on the people. Especially in the late 18th century and the first half of the 19th century, these derebeys played an important role in domestic politics with the weakening of central authority in the Ottoman Empire. Sultan Mahmud II, in order to reestablish central authority, struggled in politics and the military against threatening derebeys.
The Viranşehir Sanjak, which included Eskipazar and Safranbolu, covered a large part of today’s Karabük province in Türkiye in the 19th century. Viranşehir Sanjak experienced its most prosperous period economically in the 18th and 19th centuries. The source of this wealth was trade and production activities. Because of these activities, various individuals and families became excessively rich and gained power in the region. With the central authority transferring its political and military powers to the provinces, some of these lords and families claimed to be “derebeys”. During that time, Ottoman derebeys and their families built various structures in the region.
By the order of Sultan Mahmud II, Viranşehir Mutesellim Derebey Hasan Çavuşzade Hüseyin Ağa and his son Musa Bey played significant roles in suppressing the Tahmisçioğlu rebellion in Kastamonu, which was part of the wave of uprisings that started in Anatolia under the influence of Ibrahim Pasha, the commander of the Egyptian army. It is alleged that Hasan Çavuşzade Hüseyin Ağa and his son Musa Bey, taking advantage of the trust they gained from this situation, exerted various forms of pressure on the people and built armories and fortifications against the Sultan. Complaints were made to Istanbul with these claims. In 1835, because of these complaints, Hüseyin Ağa and Musa Bey were dismissed from their positions and arrested by the Istanbul government. During that period, the Ottoman army destroyed some buildings belonging to the Hasan Çavuşzade family.
Field studies have revealed that family-owned structures or traces of structures from the 19th century are located in various areas of Viranşehir Sanjak. The regions where these structures are found include the Safranbolu city center, the valleys formed by the Eskipazar (Viranşehir) Stream, and the village of Tamışlar. The city of Safranbolu served as the administrative center of the Viranşehir district, and Hasan Çavuşzade Hüseyin Ağa commissioned the construction of a large mansion featuring a pool in its selamlık (men's reception hall). The valleys shaped by the Eskipazar Stream were used both as a military center along caravan routes and for agricultural production by Hasan Çavuşzade Hüseyin Ağa and his son, Musa Bey. In this region, which includes the Eskipazar district center (Viranşehir), Kıranköy neighborhood, and Çakmakoğlu Valley, we determined that mansions, Turkish baths, khans, mosques, and military fortifications, as well as production facilities such as a lumber mill and a watermill, were either constructed or repaired. The village of Tamışlar, on the other hand, is a high-altitude forest settlement. In addition to serving as the family’s summer residence, it was used for agricultural production. In Tamışlar, mansions, stables, and granaries commissioned by Hasan Çavuşzade Hüseyin Ağa's two sons, İsmail and Halil Bey, have been identified. Within this scope, 25 structures have been documented.
This study focuses on three mansions that have preserved their authenticity in two rural settlements in the Eskipazar district (Karabük). The Halim Bey Mansion in the Kıranköy neighborhood and the İsmail Bey and Halil Bey Mansions in the village of Tamışlar. Archival and source research, genealogical studies, personal interviews, and field surveys have been conducted. Additionally, the structures were documented through measured drawings and photographs, and their architectural features were analyzed.
The Halim Bey Mansion, located in the Kıranköy neighborhood, is estimated to have been built in the second half of the 19th century by Hasan Bey (born in 1855), the father of Halim Bey and the grandson of Musa Bey. The mansion has three floors: a basement, a lower floor, and an upper floor. The basement is made of rubble stone, while the lower and upper floors are constructed using a timber frame and a stone-filling construction system. The interior design solutions for the basement and lower floor, which serve as the living spaces for the servants, were designed using different elevations by the slope of the land. The upper floor, which is the main living space of the owners, is arranged on a single level and has a plan with an octagonal central sofa (hall). Most of the rooms reflect the traditional room layout of Ottoman-Turkish houses. The façade and interior design of the mansion are well-crafted and modest. Overall, the mansion maintains its structural integrity both externally and internally. However, due to a lack of maintenance, the building faces threats from water and moisture from the ground and roof.
The İsmail Bey Mansion is located in the village of Tamışlar. Ismail Bey, the son of Hasan Çavuşzade Hüseyin Ağa, had this structure built in 1871-1872 as a guesthouse and an annex. The mansion consists of three floors. The basement and lower floor walls are made of rubble stone, while the upper floor is constructed with a timber frame system and stone filling. The basement contains storage, the lower floor includes a taşlık (entrance) and servant section, while the upper floor houses the guest rooms and the main room. The upper floor is designed on a single level, while the other floors are designed at different elevations based on the slope of the land. The upper floor, built with careful craftsmanship and design, comprises an octagonal central sofa and the surrounding spaces. All rooms on this floor reflect the classical room layout of Ottoman-Turkish houses. The walls and wooden ceilings of the sofa and the two rooms on the upper floor feature unique decorative elements and embellishments. Structural cracks are present in the corner regions of the building’s rubble stone walls. Additionally, there are losses in the bonding material, particularly in areas close to the ground.
The Halil Bey Mansion is located in Tamışlar village, near İsmail Bey Mansion. We estimate that this three-story mansion was built by Hasan Çavuşzade Hüseyin Ağa's another son, Halil Bey, in the late 19th century. The basement walls, along with the northern façade walls of the lower floor and specific interior partitions, were built using stone masonry, while the remaining walls of the lower floor and the entire upper floor were constructed with a timber-frame system. The structure was designed in accordance with the sloped topography, featuring an exposed southern façade at the basement level. The basement floor includes a stable, whereas the lower floor accommodates both service and storage areas, as well as living spaces such as rooms and a sofa. The upper floor, designed as the residential level for the mansion’s owners, features an octagonal central sofa surrounded by various rooms, consistent with other examined examples. This floor includes rooms at each of its four corners, with iwans and other spaces situated in between. The spatial organization follows the traditional layout of Ottoman-Turkish houses. The mansion, which exhibits a simple architectural style both on its façade and interior design, does not have any major structural problems.
The three mansions under study, in terms of form, plan scheme, façade arrangement, ornamentation and details, exhibit significant similarities with the architectural style of wealthy families in Ottoman cities during the 19th century, influenced by Europe and Istanbul. The mansions, designed in accordance with the geographical and climatic characteristics of the region, reference the social, economic, and political power once held by the Hasan Çavuşzade Family. These structures enrich the local values in terms of their cultural and architectural aspects. Notably, the Hasan Çavuşzade Family reflected their identity in the details of these buildings (such as ornamentation, façade arrangement, plan scheme, and floor heights).
The family, seeking a safe place away from the chaos of the city, chose to settle in rural areas along riverbanks and on caravan routes, which geographically justified the use of the term “derebey” for Hüseyin Ağa and his son Musa Bey. Thanks to their choice of location, the family benefited from fertile lands and gained control over trade. There is also evidence indicating that they established and managed strategic structures, such as khans, for intelligence gathering. While the Hasan Çavuşzade Family held political power, they commissioned the construction of large-scale public buildings. However, after losing political power, the three mansions that were built had more modest dimensions and architectural styles.
Because of the architectural heritage preservation activities in Safranbolu that began in the 1970s, the city's architecB tural heritage gained prominence with its inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. However, the measures taken to preserve the cultural heritage in the areas surrounding the city have proven insufficient, especially in rural regions. The lack of sufficient interest from property owners, residents, and authorities and the scarcity of resources have led to the destruction of the cultural heritage. In the region, we recommend promoting scientific research and awareness-raising activities focused on making such historical documentBlike cultural heritage sustainable and increasing the feasibility of related projects through public participation.
