Nail Çakırhan
Encyclopedia
Nail Çakırhan was a Turkish poet and journalist in his career in the beginning, and later a self-taught and award-winning architect and restorer who left his print particularly in the architecture of the coastal township of Akyaka
in southwestern Turkey through old houses he had had repaired and restored or new houses built in accordance with the traditional styles and approaches of Turkish/Ottoman
/Aegean
houses, supplemented with innovative conceptions and designs.
and later in Konya
in Central Anatolia. He started writing poetry while in Konya where he also published a literary magazine named "Kervan", due to which he went into trouble with the police and had to move to Istanbul
. During his university years, he changed branch several times, skipping from medicine to law and later to the study of literature. It was during this time that he became a close friend of Nazım Hikmet
and he started working as an editor both in the daily Cumhuriyet
and in the literary and political journal published by the famous poet, with whom he also published his first book of poetry jointly. He was arrested at the same time as Nazım Hikmet in 1932 and he remained in prison until the beginning of the following year. In 1934, he went to the USSR in secret where he remained until 1937.
Back in Turkey by divorcing from his Russian first wife in 1937 (he was going to be able to see his son only in 1979), he started working in the leftist newspaper "Tan" and married the well-known and respected archaeologist Professor Halet Çambel
. Imprisoned again for his Marxist
views between 1946–1950, he left for Europe
with his wife for two years afterwards.
site of Karatepe
in southern Turkey, where Mrs. Halet Çambel was conducting excavations, an open air museum
. His obvious talents and his rapid acquisition of the science led him to assume, by the 1960s, the building of the Turkish Historical Society
and the German High School in Ankara and once again buildings for the usage of archaeologists in Ergani
where Mrs. Halet Çambel was once again managing excavation work.
All at the same time preserving residence in a yalı
in the chic Istanbul quarter of Arnavutköy
, the couple chose to live on a permanent basis in Akyaka
in south-western Turkey as of 1970.
Here, Nail Çakırhan constructed his own house, considered a classic by its blend of characteristics proper to traditional Ottoman/Turkish/Aegean architecture and modern requirements, as well those of its environment. Commands for other constructions from his circle of friends and contacts found him having concretized in a few years a local school of architecture termed under the name of the locality of Akyaka to whose general settlement patterns Çakırhan contributed a lot. He received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture
in 1983, principally on the basis of his legacy in Akyaka.
He contributed to the design and construction of several projects in Muğla Province
region, notably the restoration of the 18th Konakaltı Caravanserai in the province center, as well as of private houses, hotels and other buildings for the tourism industry.
Nail Çakırhan died on 11 October 2008 in his hometown of Muğla
.
Akyaka, Mugla
Akyaka is a coastal township with its own municipality in the Ula district of Muğla Province in southwestern Turkey. The town is situated at the far end of the Gulf of Gökova, at the start of the fertile Gökova plain, and is a rising centre for international tourism due to its advantageous...
in southwestern Turkey through old houses he had had repaired and restored or new houses built in accordance with the traditional styles and approaches of Turkish/Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
/Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
houses, supplemented with innovative conceptions and designs.
Early career
Nail Çakırhan was born in Ula in southwestern Turkey, and he studied in the provincial center of MuğlaMugla
Muğla is a city in south-western Turkey. It is the center of the district the same name, as well as of Muğla Province, which stretches along Turkey´s Aegean coast. Muğla center is situated inland at an altitude of 660 m and lies at a distance of about from the nearest seacoast in the Gulf of...
and later in Konya
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
in Central Anatolia. He started writing poetry while in Konya where he also published a literary magazine named "Kervan", due to which he went into trouble with the police and had to move to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. During his university years, he changed branch several times, skipping from medicine to law and later to the study of literature. It was during this time that he became a close friend of Nazım Hikmet
Nazim Hikmet
Nâzım Hikmet Ran , commonly known as Nâzım Hikmet , was a Turkish poet, playwright, novelist and memoirist. He was acclaimed for the "lyrical flow of his statements"...
and he started working as an editor both in the daily Cumhuriyet
Cumhuriyet
Cumhuriyet is a centre-left Turkish daily newspaper, founded on May 7, 1924 by journalist Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu. Based in Istanbul, it has been situated since October 17, 2005 in Mecidiyeköy. Cumhuriyet was the last newspaper to leave the old press district Cağaloğlu...
and in the literary and political journal published by the famous poet, with whom he also published his first book of poetry jointly. He was arrested at the same time as Nazım Hikmet in 1932 and he remained in prison until the beginning of the following year. In 1934, he went to the USSR in secret where he remained until 1937.
Back in Turkey by divorcing from his Russian first wife in 1937 (he was going to be able to see his son only in 1979), he started working in the leftist newspaper "Tan" and married the well-known and respected archaeologist Professor Halet Çambel
Halet Çambel
Halet Çambel was a Turkish fencer and renowned archaeologist.Çambel was born in Berlin. Her father, Hasan Cemil Çambel, was closely associated with Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish republic. Her mother, Remziye Hanim, was the daughter of the Turkish ambassador to Germany...
. Imprisoned again for his Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
views between 1946–1950, he left for Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
with his wife for two years afterwards.
Architect's career
His first venture into the art of architecture came in the 1950s, when he constructed by learning from the scratch and assisted by several professional architects and on the late-HittiteHittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
site of Karatepe
Karatepe
Karatepe is a late Hittite fortress and open air museum in Osmaniye Province in southern Turkey lying at a distance of about 23 km from the district center of Kadirli. It is sited in the Taurus Mountains, on the right bank of the Ceyhan River...
in southern Turkey, where Mrs. Halet Çambel was conducting excavations, an open air museum
Open air museum
An open-air museum is a distinct type of museum exhibiting its collections out-of-doors. The first open-air museums were established in Scandinavia towards the end of the nineteenth century, and the concept soon spread throughout Europe and North America. Open-air museums are variously known as...
. His obvious talents and his rapid acquisition of the science led him to assume, by the 1960s, the building of the Turkish Historical Society
Turkish Historical Society
The Turkish Historical Society also known as Turkish Historical Association or Turkish History Foundation is a research society studying the history of Turkey and the Turkish people, founded in 1931 by the initiative of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, with headquarters in Ankara, Turkey.-Presidents:The...
and the German High School in Ankara and once again buildings for the usage of archaeologists in Ergani
Ergani
Ergani, formerly known as Arghni or Arghana, is a district of Diyarbakır Province of Turkey. The mayor is Fesih Yalçın .-Çayönü:Near the village of Sesverenpınar, among the Hilar rocks Çayönü hill was first settled in c. 7500 BC, and was continuously inhabited until 5000 BC...
where Mrs. Halet Çambel was once again managing excavation work.
Yali
Yali may refer to:* Yalı , a water's edge house or mansion in Turkey* Yali , a Hindu mythical creature with the body of a lion and some elephant features* Yali , a Greek volcanic island...
in the chic Istanbul quarter of Arnavutköy
Arnavutköy
Arnavutköy is a historic neighborhood in Istanbul, Turkey, famous for its wooden Ottoman mansions and fish restaurants as well as the prestigious Robert College campus with its centennial buildings...
, the couple chose to live on a permanent basis in Akyaka
Akyaka, Mugla
Akyaka is a coastal township with its own municipality in the Ula district of Muğla Province in southwestern Turkey. The town is situated at the far end of the Gulf of Gökova, at the start of the fertile Gökova plain, and is a rising centre for international tourism due to its advantageous...
in south-western Turkey as of 1970.
Here, Nail Çakırhan constructed his own house, considered a classic by its blend of characteristics proper to traditional Ottoman/Turkish/Aegean architecture and modern requirements, as well those of its environment. Commands for other constructions from his circle of friends and contacts found him having concretized in a few years a local school of architecture termed under the name of the locality of Akyaka to whose general settlement patterns Çakırhan contributed a lot. He received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Aga Khan Award for Architecture
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977. It aims to identify and reward architectural concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Islamic societies in the fields of contemporary design, social housing, community...
in 1983, principally on the basis of his legacy in Akyaka.
He contributed to the design and construction of several projects in Muğla Province
Mugla Province
Muğla Province is a province of Turkey, at the country's south-western corner, on the Aegean Sea. Its seat is Muğla, about inland, while some of Turkey's largest holiday resorts, such as Bodrum, Ölüdeniz, Marmaris and Fethiye, are on the coast in Muğla....
region, notably the restoration of the 18th Konakaltı Caravanserai in the province center, as well as of private houses, hotels and other buildings for the tourism industry.
Nail Çakırhan died on 11 October 2008 in his hometown of Muğla
Mugla
Muğla is a city in south-western Turkey. It is the center of the district the same name, as well as of Muğla Province, which stretches along Turkey´s Aegean coast. Muğla center is situated inland at an altitude of 660 m and lies at a distance of about from the nearest seacoast in the Gulf of...
.
See also
- Akyaka, MuğlaAkyaka, MuglaAkyaka is a coastal township with its own municipality in the Ula district of Muğla Province in southwestern Turkey. The town is situated at the far end of the Gulf of Gökova, at the start of the fertile Gökova plain, and is a rising centre for international tourism due to its advantageous...
- Gulf of GökovaGulf of GökovaGulf of Gökova or Gulf of Kerme , is a long , narrow gulf of the Aegean Sea between Bodrum Peninsula and Datça Peninsula in south-west Turkey.Administratively, Gulf of Gökova coastline includes portions of the districts of, clockwise, Bodrum, Milas,...
- Aga Khan Award for ArchitectureAga Khan Award for ArchitectureThe Aga Khan Award for Architecture is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977. It aims to identify and reward architectural concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Islamic societies in the fields of contemporary design, social housing, community...