Evaluation of Wall Construction Systems in Traditional Turkish Houses According to Geographical Regions

Türkiye’s diverse climate and geography have produced marked regional variation in the materials, techniques and layering of exterior walls in traditional houses. This chapter presents a comparative literature review of traditional wall construction across the seven geographical regions of Türkiye, with the Black Sea Region examined in its eastern and western sub-regions. Sources published between 1950 and 2026 were selected against predefined criteria and analysed with a four-stage framework for timber, adobe, brick and stone; the results were synthesised in four material-based tables and one cross-material synthesis table. Timber-framed walls dominate the humid, forested north and west; massive adobe and stone walls of 60–120 cm characterise the continental and arid interior and east; a masonry ground floor beneath a timber-framed upper floor recurs in all seismic regions; and brick shifts from infill to protective detailing southward. Wall typologies emerge from the interaction of climate, seismicity, topography and material availability.