Ormana’s button houses draw visitors with unique architecture
With their dry-stone walls revealing the engineering genius of the Taurus Mountains, the button houses reflect the lifestyle and aesthetic understanding of a past era through their projecting bay windows extending into the streets.
- Agencies and A News / Turkey
- Published Date: 02:06 PM 06 October 2026
- Updated Date: 02:09 PM 06 October 2026
The district of Ibradi in Antalya attracts thousands of visitors every year with its distinctive architecture.
The Ormana neighborhood in the district, known for its structures called "button houses," was selected by the United Nations Tourism Organization in 2024 as one of the "Best Tourism Villages in the World," showcasing both the region's construction technique and its aesthetic sense.
With walls made of unmortared stones locked together by timber beams, these houses have stood for centuries, while their bay windows, extending living spaces into the streets, reflect the spirit of their time.
The bay windows, displaying some of the finest examples of wood craftsmanship, soften the hard and cold appearance of the stone buildings and add aesthetic value to the streets.
These bay windows not only provide a visual feast but also make the interior spaces appear larger, while allowing abundant sunlight and fresh mountain air to enter from three sides.
The decorations, handcrafted from the region's durable cedar trees, carry the craftsmanship of the past into the present.
The historic bay windows lined one after another along the streets of Ormana create a striking streetscape where sky and wood meet, offering photographers unique scenes.
Serving as observation windows to the outside world, the bay windows continue to preserve the region's deep-rooted neighborhood culture and the warm traces of past life.