40. Muzafer Bey Mansion
Brief documentation:
The Mansion of Muzafer Bey is one of the oldest in the old town of Xanthi. It was built in the middle of the 19th century, in a prominent position in the old town of Xanthi, on the border of the districts of Soune and Agios Vlasios. The main house is three-storey, in a "Π" shape, while its symmetrical façade is dominated by the semicircular pediment of the roof, where the inscription with the year of construction was probably located.
Inside, the two floors that constituted the residence had a central area (sofa) and another room open to the hall (eyvan), while four rooms (oda) developed around it.
Impressive is the interior painting decoration with ceiling paintings and frescoes with floral motifs, imitations of windows and paintings etc.
The ground floor functioned as a space for daily tasks and as a storage room, while on the first and second floor lived the family members. Although the building is characterized by its many large windows that ensured plenty of light, visual contact from the street to its interior is prevented by a high wall.
The building was part of an extensive complex, which included, among other things, a second residence, a hammam and laboratory and storage spaces. The two independent residences (haremlik and selamlik) communicated with each other by an elevated covered "bridge" that is not preserved today, as the second house has been demolished. The architecture of the building faithfully follows the typology of the urban Ottoman residence. Today it belongs to the Municipality of Xanthi. In 2009 it was restored in 2009, while a study has been made for its use as a cultural space.
Category of thematic interest: ARCHITECTURAL / HISTORICAL INTEREST
History:
The Mansion of Muzaffer Bey was built around the middle of the 19th century. It is located on the outskirts of the Sunne district, which at that time was the home of Sunni Muslims and administrative officials of the Ottoman state.
According to Kornelia Trakossopoulou-Tzimou, the building was built by Siakir Aga, a keen wrestler from Deliorman (present-day Ludogorje in northeastern Bulgaria), who came to Xanthi at that time and married the daughter of an Ottoman bey.
Until 1984 the Mansion was owned by the family, as it was inhabited by Muzaffer Bey, grandson of Siakir Aga. In 1988, a few years after his death, the building was bought by the Municipality of Xanthi. Due to its special architectural value, in 1993 it was recognized as a listed monument, while a study has been made for its conversion into a place of culture.
Elements of architecture:
The Mansion of Muzaffer Bey is a typical example of traditional architecture of the Balkan area of the Ottoman period. It is built in a prominent position inside old Xanthi, a fact that offers the building excellent views of the plain of the area. The unlimited view was greatly enhanced by the relief of the ground, which imposes the amphitheatrical composition of the built space. Unlike most buildings of the traditional settlement, which are usually one-storey or two-storey, this one consists of three floors.
It is built in the shape of a Π, a typology that is particularly common in the Balkan area during the 19th century. The two floors that rise above the ground floor include a central hall (sofa) in the extension of which there is another room open to the hall (eyvan) and four rooms (oda), which develop around it. The first and second floors were mainly used as living quarters for the family. The ground floor consisted of two sections and its basic function was auxiliary for the daily tasks of the household.
The large windows on the façade of the building ensured plenty of light inside and gave the residents the opportunity to have a comfortable view of the plain of the area. The building also had a small hammam, which was located on the west side of the ground floor and was used to meet the needs of the family. Communication between the floors was carried out by two staircases. The main staircase of the house, which is made of wood, starts from the ground floor and ends in a small loft on the second floor, while the second is auxiliary and connects the northwestern part of the house with the courtyard and the hammam.
In its original form, the building included two independent residences, the haremlik (women's loft) and the selamlik (men’s loft), which communicated with each other at the level of the first floor through an elevated, covered bridge. The building that housed the selamlik is not preserved today, as it was demolished at some point in the 1940s. The courtyard included some other buildings of auxiliary character, which were used for domestic work, but also as storage spaces. The courtyard area is surrounded by a high wall, which prevented any visibility to the interior of the building.
The building is an indicative example of an urban Ottoman residence of the 19th century. In its construction, materials from the area (local stone and wood) are dominant. A key element of organization of its main façade is symmetry, as well as the individual wooden elements that shape the edges and frames of the openings.
Description of other elements:
The curved pediment on the main façade of the building bore an engraved inscription in Arabic, which probably referred to the year of its construction or the year on which its decoration took place. The inscription was surrounded by painting floral decoration, which is preserved until today in poor condition. The interior of the building is decorated with various ceiling paintings and frescoes, while the presence of wood in the various elements of the construction, such as doors, bollards, ceilings and wardrobes, is particularly strong.
Purpose - Use: Residence, Cultural space
Characterization: Preservable, Institution of the Ministry of Culture, Decision DILAP/C/1947/45058, Government Gazette 706/93 - Preservable, Institution of the Ministry of Education, Category "A", Decision 5385, Government Gazette 1097/95
Dating (period): Mid-19th century
Year of construction: 1848
Location of the monument: 41.1416841765745, 24.884676719915575
Bibliographic references:
• Kornelia Trakosopoulou – Tzimou, "Methodological approach for the restoration of historic buildings of the 19th century. The Konaki of Muzafer Bey in Xanthi" in Proceedings of the 3rd National Conference: Mild interventions for the protection of historical structures. New design trends, Janus, 2008, pp. 261 – 268
• Dimitris Mavridis, Houses of Xanthi, Holy Metropolis of Xanthi and Peritheoriou, Xanthi 2009
• Dimitris Mavridis, Angelophylaktos Xanthi, Holy Metropolis of Xanthi and Peritheoriou, Xanthi 2006
Address: Markou Botsari 46
Visitable: No