Tandir In Old Erzurum Kitchen: How It Is Made, Used And Its Place In Eastern Anatolia

Tandir, which is a common element of monumental ‘tandirevi’architecture in traditional houses of Erzurum in Eastern Anatolia, is a simple mechanism used to cook meal and heat from the pre-historic period to today. Tandir, which has left its place to mo- dern ovens and heating devices in urban architecture, continues to be used in different si- tuations and types in the countryside. The most important factors leading to the continuity of the tandir culture are the climate, which is effective all over Eastern Anatolia, regional ones, economic situations and also customs. Tandircilik, which was an occupation in Erzurum and its surrounding in the past, usually is a profession carried out by women masters through traditional methods in villages. Tandirs which are made through using traditional methods by tandir masters, whose number is few, have been replaced by machine-made ones.