Ormana Village Famous For the Button Houses

Ormana Village is one of the localities that attract the individuals who have passion for the architectural styles and authentic buildings. This village is characterized by its "Button Houses". The houses, built upon such kind of authentic architectural style, are commonly seen at the mountainous regions of Antalya and also at the rural residential areas of the districts of Akseki and Ibradi. The habitants at such region have built earthquake-resistant buildings by making use of only trees and stones and without using any mortar or cement at all. Such style, constituted entirely for the need and safety, has also become the authentic architectural design prevailing at the region.

Such button houses at the Ormana Village are so strong and solid that all of them have remained standing for almost 3-4 centuries. Having been preserved as the "Intangible Cultural Heritage", the button houses are also substantially treasured since they reflect the best examples for the wooden ornaments. The Ormana Village, located at a distance of approximately 2.5 hours to the city center of Antalya, is a residential area where the individuals longing for the natural life would visit and draw a breath and recreate the soul even for a day-trip. By its nature, the Ormana Village deserves to be called as "untouched" to the full extent, and fascinates the visitors with its houses that reflect the best examples for the woodworking and stonework.

The framework of the houses has been carved out with hardwood cut from the turpentine trees. The turpentine tree, which is also known as the "Lebanon Cedar", grows at the uplands of the Taurus mountains. The appearance of the parts at the outer side of the wooden-frames, like a button, is the reason for calling such houses as the button houses. Such houses, which cannot be seen elsewhere than the Ormana Village, are built by gathering up the framework with the timber-frame and the stone masonry walls. The stones, used for building the houses, consist of the stones collected from the Taurus Mountains. The beams lined are locked with the planks made of cedar, called as "pistuvan (bonding timber)".

Since they are earthquake-resistant, the two-storied button houses are capable of standing for many years without decomposition and demolition. However, some of such houses with a lifetime of approximately five centuries are dilapidated due to the external conditions, and some of them are being renovated for the purpose of prolonging their lifetime. These houses falling under the scope of Intangible Cultural Heritage need to be renovated authentically. The residents of the Ormana Village are all pretty sympathetic and hospitable.

How To Go to the Ormana Village Button Houses?

Ormana Village is located at the district of Ibradi with a distance of 60 kilometeres to Manavgat. It is possible to reach this locality within 2.5 hours by car from the downtown of Antalya. The minibuses to the Ormana Village from the bus terminal in Antalya may also be preferred. However, it may take 4-5 hours to reach Ormana since those minibuses would stop by the villages on their routes.