Veli Paşa Konağı (Mansion)
Veli Paşa Konağı is one of the best-known examples of Çorum’s historic civil architecture, standing in the city center in the Tepecik neighborhood, on Şeyh Eyüp Street. According to most sources, the mansion was built in 1923-1924 by Şevket Bey, the son of Veli Paşa. It should not be confused with Veli Paşa Han, which bears the same family name but was built for a different purpose and at a different time: the han is a commercial and lodging building, while this mansion is a civil residence.
History
According to the records of the Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, Şevket Bey, who had the mansion built, took the surname Eren after the Surname Law, was born in 1875, and died on 2 June 1940. Construction was carried out by two well-known master builders of the period, “İbiklerin Osman Ağa” and his son Elvan Ağa. (The trustee of the endowment who oversaw the 1915-1916 reconstruction of Veli Paşa Han also bore the name Şevket Bey; however, the Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism’s own official page for the han describes this person as Veli Paşa’s “grandson” — two pages of the same institution’s website conflict on this point, and this research could not establish whether the two Şevket Beys are in fact the same person.)
The mansion was restored to its original form by the Çorum Municipality in 2004, furnished, and turned into an authentic venue for cultural and artistic activities and for showcasing local cuisine. In November 2020, a further round of restoration began at the mansion, which was by then being used as the Women’s Culture and Art Center.
Architecture
Veli Paşa Konağı follows a two-storey-plus-basement plan with a central hall (also described as a “karnıyarık” plan), a type common to the region. It consists of the main residential building, turned inward around a garden, together with a set of outbuildings. The structure was built using the “hımış” timber-frame technique with a mudbrick infill, and its walls are whitewashed with lime. The mansion is enclosed by high garden walls, and the courtyard facing the streets to its north and west is entered from two separate directions: from the north through a two-leaf wooden door, and from the west through two further doors thought to have separated the harem (family quarters) and selamlık (men’s reception quarters).
The windows, characteristic of Çorum houses, are set within cased frames and bordered with wooden mouldings. The woodwork on the doors, windows, cupboards and hearths in the rooms is typical of the region, and the rooms allotted to the harem and selamlık sections have separate entrances from one another. According to an academic study, the hearth in the second-floor northeast room is considered one of the finest examples of period plaster ornamentation found in Çorum houses.
Location and Surroundings
The mansion stands in the Tepecik neighborhood, which has largely lost its historic fabric, where it forms a historic ensemble together with its mosque, avenue and street. Wikipedia’s article on Veli Paşa Konağı also mentions a nearby building called “İkizler Konağı” (Twin Mansion); this is most likely the same twin-mansion structure, adjoining Veli Paşa Konağı, that Çorum Municipality restored into the İkiz Konak Boutique Hotel (no separate source was found confirming this link). Nearby also stand other examples of traditional Çorum houses, such as the former Tepecik police station building, built in 1890 and restored in 2018, as well as the Veli Paşa Mosque (according to sources, a building dating from the 17th century, from a different period).
Those wishing to see Çorum’s traditional civil architecture as a whole may consult the Çorum Houses article; for the commercial building built by the same family, see Veli Paşa Han; and for the city’s other historic buildings, see the Çorum Clock Tower and Çorum Grand Mosque (Murad-ı Rabi Mosque) pages. For other listed mansions in Çorum, see the Historic Mansions of Çorum guide.
Frequently asked questions
Who built Veli Paşa Konağı, and when?
According to most sources (Wikipedia, the Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism), the mansion was built in 1923-1924 by Şevket Bey (surname Eren after the 1934 Surname Law, 1875 - 2 June 1940), the son of Veli Paşa.
Are Veli Paşa Konağı and Veli Paşa Han the same building?
No, they are separate buildings. The han, in the Çepni neighborhood, is a commercial and lodging building, while the konak, in the Tepecik neighborhood, is a civil residence; both were built by the same family at different times.
What is Veli Paşa Konağı used for today?
The mansion was restored by Çorum Municipality and converted into the Women's Culture and Art Center, which hosts cultural and artistic activities.
Where is Veli Paşa Konağı located?
It stands in central Çorum, in the Tepecik neighborhood, on Şeyh Eyüp Street, No. 13.