Büyükhusun: A hillside village between tradition and architecture

On a slope descending towards the sea, the village structure and architectural heritage give Büyükhusun a distinctive character. Traditional rural life continues in the historic settlement, while its role as a tourism village has become more prominent. The award-winning B2 House adds a distinctive architectural feature, and a nearby necropolis offers an archaeological destination. You can get to know the place through its layout, houses and rural landscape.

A village on a slope

Büyükhusun is one of the mountain villages on a slope descending towards the sea. The road climbing up from below runs parallel to the sea as an axis, separating the upper and lower parts of the village. This spatial layout shapes the village’s appearance: the hillside setting and the two village sections are as important for finding your way around as the road running between them.

The traditional built environment encompasses more than homes. It includes stables, poultry houses, woodsheds, ovens and a laundry, as well as a mosque, a fountain, a mill, a coffeehouse and buildings used as schools. The traditional architectural character is also evident in the settlement pattern, construction knowledge and craftsmanship, the arrangement of floor plans and façades, and the materials and building details. Residential and agricultural buildings therefore stand alongside buildings with religious, social and educational functions.

Architecture at different scales

The B2 House, built in Büyükhusun by Han Tümertekin, won an Aga Khan Award for Architecture. It stands alone at the summit of a steep rock and is set apart from the lower part of Büyükhusun. On the steep slope, the house creates terraces; the area behind it, with its staircase, is used as a shaded outdoor space. Stone walls sit between the load-bearing concrete columns. On the façade facing the view, shutters made of reeds were installed. The house thus combines a striking location with specific architectural responses to the slope and its orientation towards the view.

The SM House has a different emphasis. It is situated on a linear plot running parallel to the road and is partly connected to the village of Büyükhusun. Glass and stone walls combine with a covered arcade along the glass façade facing the view, creating a shaded area. By comparison, the steep rocky summit and terraces shape the B2 House’s relationship with the terrain, while the linear plot and shaded glass façade are the main features of the SM House. The two examples demonstrate different architectural responses without needing to be reduced to the same building type.

Rural landscape and archaeological surroundings

Büyükhusun’s rural landscape includes paths, olive groves, pastures, vegetable and fruit gardens, and forests. These features complement the view of the houses and settlement pattern with a landscape perspective. Depending on whether you are more interested in architectural heritage or the rural surroundings, different aspects of the village can take centre stage.

About 3 kilometres west of Büyükhusun, the Büyükhusun Necropolis Area lies near the Sığır Yatağı and Dedeüstü heights. Numerous graves made of flat limestone slabs characterise the necropolis; it reflects a dolmen burial tradition dating from the 10th to the 7th century BCE. The 7.87-kilometre-long Aristotle stage is rated as moderately difficult and leads to the necropolis as a place to visit. This gives you two distinct cultural themes to consider when planning your trip: the village’s architecture and settlement pattern, and an archaeological destination in the surrounding area.

A culinary event is also part of the place’s recent history: the second edition of Keşkek Day took place in Büyükhusun on 9 June 2022, an event that Ayvacık described as traditional. This adds a specific connection to a local food event alongside the architectural and landscape themes.

When choosing a holiday apartment, you can therefore consider whether you want your trip to focus mainly on the hillside village and its architecture, or whether you would also like to include the necropolis and the moderately difficult stage.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Gülpınar, Uğurlu, Geyikli, Güzelyalı, Adatepe, Yaylalar, Maltepe Köyü, Sarıot

For the broader travel overview: Çanakkale.