Wooden Mosques (Candi/Canti Mosques) from Anatolia’s Black Sea Region

Abstract

Wood has been used in Turkish architecture, not only in houses and warehouse structures but also intensively in the building of mosques. The mosques of the times were built in the wood masonry system and were especially abundant in regions of Anatolia that we're blessed with generous forests. The Black Sea Region particularly abounds with wooden mosques. Known as çantı mosques, these structures represent the region’s cultural wealth. The aim of this article is to describe the mosques built in the “wooden masonry system” (çantı), a group of buildings that together signify a special group of mosques in Anatolian architecture, referring to examples of these types of mosques located in the region of the Black Sea. The features of the plans, construction systems, materials, and ornamentation of these structures will be detailed in an effort to document the identity of this collective cultural legacy and as a contribution to the literature for posterity.