Sarıhacılar Düğmeli Ev Köyü
Sarıhacılar, a mountain village in Akseki, holds the best-preserved examples of the traditional 'buttoned house'. Houses built with a stone-and-timber technique going back 800 years, along with cisterns and the village mosque, are still standing.
The buttoned house is a technique in which horizontal timber ties are threaded between courses of stone at set intervals. Because the timber passes through the wall and juts out, the facade looks like rows of buttons — hence the name. The flexibility lets a building move rather than crack in an earthquake; some examples have stood for centuries.
Sarıhacılar is one of the rare places where this architecture is not limited to one or two houses but spreads across the whole village. Alongside the houses, stone-built water cisterns, courtyards and raised granaries survive. The village mosque was built with the same technique. The lanes are narrow and steep; walking round takes about an hour.
The village sits at around 1,000 metres, surrounded by cedar and juniper forest. It is noticeably cooler than the coast in summer and ringed by wildflowers in spring. There is no tourist infrastructure — beyond the village teahouse and a couple of home guesthouses there are no services. It is about 20 km from central Akseki by mountain road.
- Best time
- Spring and autumn
- Budget
- Free
Tips
- The houses are private property; asking before photographing is courteous.
- No food or drink beyond the village teahouse — bring water and snacks.
- Same area as Altınbeşik Cave; the two make a two-day route together.