Some late-Ottoman houses have a single room on top of their upper floor. Called ‘köşk odası’ (= kiosk room), it is used in summer, and closed off in winter (because it has no fireplace). Their high position grant them an optimal ventilation, making even the hottest day heavenly.
Sometimes this ‘summer room’ is part of the upper floor; then, it will stretch out in one direction, offering to the mountain winds three sides with windows that can be opened. It can even become a ‘room for all seasons’, if the architectural planning has provided it with a chimney and a fireplace (as it is the case for this house).
Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Sources: ‘Anadolu Mirasında Türk Evleri’ (T.C. Kültür Bakanlığı) 1995 & Wikipedia.