Gaziantep’te Bir Kültürel Mekân Olarak Mutfak
The Heart of the House: Kitchen as a Cultural Place in Gaziantep

Summary/Abstract: Kitchen used for preparing food and cooking, is more than an architectural subject or a part of a house. As a place for resolving the need for nutrition, kitchen has controls the fire from the ancient times. Since heating of the house was provided from kitchen, it becomes the heart of house. Kitchen spaces are considered as sacred in many cultures, used as a central point of the rituals; and consecrated and glorified as god or goddesses. As a result, kitchens are one of the most important parts of social life with their functions as such. For understanding this place better, this study explains the internal layout of the kitchens in modern houses which are designed different from traditional ones, with an example of Gaziantep city centre. According to the assumption that the nutritional activities of people and the reasons for the internal arrangement of the kitchens are in cohesion, this study examines the reasons of these people and the arrangement of their kitchens. In Antep, kitchens are arranged by considering the daily life and social relations; also with the traditional order. Large kitchens are also the space for social relations. However, economic differences have influence in the arrangement of the kitchens. Moreover, effects of the social elements ranging from economic differences to family life can be observed in the layout of the kitchens. Since most women are still housewives, the traditional food culture is preserved and kitchens are also organised in this manner.

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