225 407 EVOLUTION OF TIMBER CONSTRUCTION IN TURKEY Görün Arun Yıldız Technical University,Turkey Keywords: timber construction technique, timber dwellings, Anatolian timber architecture. Introduction Wood is known as one of the oldest structural materials used in many parts of the World. But remains of wood from antique period are seldom encountered in archaeological excavations. Turkey, connecting European and Asian continents with Anatolia peninsula, houses many historic structures, mostly of masonry from 12 th century BC on. The rock reliefs, drawings, traces of timbers on stone masonry, and written sources show that timber construction was also highly appreciated in ancient Anatolia, especially in the densely wooded regions. The heritage of timber structures in Anatolia is immense and the oldest examples, still being used date back to 12 th century AD, The Seljuk Sultanate coming in 11 th century to Anatolia built many mosques, public and military buildings of timber between 12th and 15th centuries (Fig. 1). Some of these buildings are still in good shape and perform their duties. Fig. 1: Esrefoglu Mosque, 1296 AD During Ottoman period, as masonry houses have suffered numerous intense and destructive earthquakes, wooden buildings gained importance to be safe especially among rich people. As several fires wiped out thousands of houses and even whole districts, masonry buildings were made obligatory by law in the form of building regulations known as Ebniye Regulations enacted in the early 19th century by the Ottoman government. Later however, due to many casualties and great damage caused by repeated earthquakes, timber for building was once again allowed under the law [1]. Archi-Cultural Translations through the Silk Road 2 nd International Conference, Mukogawa Women’s Univ., Nishinomiya, Japan, July 14-16, 2012 Proceedings