The Turkish word of ‘Konak’ is a constructed name as opposed to the borrowed ones like ‘köþk’ from Persian or like ‘kasýr’ from Arabic. Linguistically the word ‘konak’ is associated with ‘konmak’ [to land or to become stationary]. It is actually a large dwelling smaller than a palace but larger than a simple house. In Istanbul there were 20 to 40 roomed examples. According to Doðan Kuban, a renowned Architectural Historian, actually ‘konak’ is a home associated with the social status as well. There may be much smaller homes or houses. But by virtue of its owner being rich or having an important status in military or in the service of the Sultan, the house where he and his family lived had been called with that persons name and ending with the word ‘konak,’ such was the ‘Liva Pasha Konaðý’ (the possessive form).

In Kastamonu center about 400 konaks or traditional homes represents the historical civilian architecture of 150 years. After the Kastamonu province center, Ýnebolu and Taþköprü districts are close second and third in number of traditional housings. The preserved Kastamonu Konaks and the other historical structures give the city an image with a long lasting cultural identity.

Because of a geographic diversity and the people the architectural elements in the civilian architecture presents diversity as well.

Especially in Kastamonu center, the most important feature of these Konaks is their front facades. They all tend to have a different architectural design and esthetic understanding of how a house should be. This means that there is no certain style a “Kastamonu Konak,” but instead in Kastamonu there is the presence of a 400 different architectural exercise. This difference came from thousands of years of cultural accumulation of knowledge and practice. In addition, during the Emirets and the Ottoman times Kastamonu was a center of a regional power. And because of this, many different pashas, governors, civil servants, soldiers were appointed to Kastamonu. All of these newly arrived elites brought their own understanding of how a house should be; and these understandings, by time, mixed with the local knowledge and cultural heritage. This mixture now presents an eclectic view of Kastamonu’s civilian architecture.

One common difference between Kastamonu Konaks and the ones in other cities and regions is the floor arrangements of these dwellings. In Kastamonu Konaks, the first floor is not empty like the ones in other cities. The first floor is where the daily living takes place and receiving of the guest who come for short durations like few hours or so. The second floor is the commonly used hayat area or large central saloon for all but the rooms are private. The third floor is generally reserved for overnight guests.

While constructing these Konaks or large homes it is observed that none of these dwellings block neighbors’ sun or view but at the same time they utilize land in the best possible way. This simple understanding can be seen in all of these Kastamonu Konaks.