Tin-Clad Houses of Istanbul

In Istanbul, north-facing facades of timber buildings typically weather faster than other facades; hence, these facades are often clad with tin sheets. Such tin-clad houses can still be found in old neighborhoods of Istanbul, and the meticulous way in which the cladding is applied often lends additional artistic qualities to the buildings in question. On many tin-clad houses, the name of the tinsmith is laboriously etched into the sheet metal, and just like an epitahp, additional information about the cladding is provided. Thus, we are able to date many of the tin-clad houses in the city, as well as gleaning information about the tinsmiths who were active in this trade