The Selamluk in Vranje, part II: Architectonic characteristics of structural and decorative elements

Abstract

The complex of the Pasini konaci in Vranje, was built in the second half of the 18th century, and it is composed of two buildings. The pasha used to reside in the Selamluk with his entourage, while the Haremluk was a residence of the female part of the family. Due to the continuing use of these two buildings, their architectonic characteristics and historical environment were preserved to a great extent. Nowadays, the Selamluk and Haremluk have been declared the cultural property of great importance for Serbia. The first part of the paper about the Selamluk treated the genesis of spatial organization and architectonic form of the building on the basis of historical sources. This part analyzes the structural and decorative elements of the Selamluka in Vranje as a typical representative of the Balkan Oriental housing architecture. Cultural, historical, artistic and craftsmanship values, based on the material acquired during the field work, were discussed. The detailed study and comparative analysis of the Selamluk characteristics provided a contribution to understanding of specific values in the architectonic evaluation of town structures in this part of the Balkan peninsula.