Mesken

Mesken is a Turkish noun meaning dwelling or residence, the place where a person lives. It is a formal or literary term and appears frequently in official language, legal documents, and real estate terminology, as well as demographic or housing statistics. In everyday speech, more common words such as ev or konut are typically used, but mesken remains current in formal registers. The term is often used to distinguish a dwelling from non-residential properties, especially in real estate classifications where gayri mesken denotes non-residential spaces.

Etymology and history: The word derives from Arabic maskan, via Persian and Ottoman Turkish, referring to a place of habitation or rest. In modern Turkish its usage tends to be more technical or literary. While konut and ev are more familiar, mesken endures in legal, bureaucratic, and formal contexts to denote a dwelling unit or the usual place of residence.

Usage notes: In law and administration, mesken can designate the residential portion of a property or the usual residence of a person, sometimes in contrast to ikametgah or adres. In real estate practice it is used to classify property as residential (mesken) versus non-residential (gayri mesken) for taxation, zoning, or register purposes. Related terms include konut, ev, and ikametgah, while the term is also found in Azerbaijani Turkish with a similar sense.