Abstract

Cyprus was ruled under the Byzantine, Lusignan, Venetian, Ottoman and British civilizations throughout history. Thus, the old walled city of Nicosia has witnessed various civilizations and different architectural styles. By the end of British era in 1960, the new social, economic, cultural and political factors influenced the urban features of the walled city of Nicosia. The purpose of this study is to investigate how these factors affect the design and the construction of the houses which were differ from the earliest ones, within the period of 1960-1974 in residential area of the old walled city center. Accordingly, it is intended to find out the basic characteristics of design of these houses. Furthermore, the effects of urban culture and life experiences of the society and its effects on house design will be examined. Methodologically, the qualitative research design and some interview and observation techniques are used. For this aim five houses have been selected from the Köşklüçiftlik and Çağlayan district and analyzed in terms of their plan types, their facade characteristics, construction materials and techniques. The results of this study will be helpful to obtain the criteria of the environment with respect to the residential design in the walled city of Nicosia.