The structures you see before you represent one of the rare examples in Mustafapaşa where the 19th-century culture of production and daily life can be read as a single integrated whole. This multi-layered building complex houses rock-cut production spaces in its lower levels and masonry living quarters in its upper levels. The harmony between the lower floors carved into Cappadocia’s soft tuff stone and the cut and rough-hewn stone living floors built above them can be vividly observed in these buildings.
The former bezirhane (oil mill) is the large rock-cut chamber located on the lowest level. The millstones that still remain in the space are the most telling traces confirming the building’s productive function.
Bezirhanes were traditional workshops where “bezir oil” was produced from linseed and poppy seeds. The oils extracted from local Central Anatolian plants such as ızgın (camelina), safflower and hackberry also enriched the production capacity of these mills.
The rock-cut spaces located immediately above the production area, equipped with benches, niches and basins, served as support spaces for the workshop. Today, with its original character preserved, this space has been repurposed as a venue hosting cultural and artistic events.
The masonry, vaulted and rock-cut spaces above the bezirhane form the living levels of the structure. With its courtyard plan, iwans, vaulted rooms and rock-cut workshops and storage spaces, the building reflects the characteristic features of 19th-century Sinasos domestic architecture.
On the entrance floor of the mansion, rock-cut spaces are located on the northwestern side, while masonry living quarters are arranged around the courtyard. The rooms and terraces on the upper floors complete the daily living spaces of the mansion.
Today, preserved with their original architectural fabric and serving as a boutique hotel and a cultural-arts venue, these buildings stand as a monumental example carrying the multi-layered memory of Sinasos into the present day.
