Yatakhaneler

Yatakhaneler, Turkish for dormitories or lodging houses with communal sleeping quarters, describe facilities built to accommodate many residents in a compact, economical arrangement. The term combines yatak (bed) and hane (house).

Historically, yatakhaneler were common in settings where affordable, centralized housing was needed, such as educational institutions, religious schools, military garrisons, and certain industrial or labor sites in the late Ottoman period and the early Turkish Republic. They served to house students, soldiers, workers, and other groups in multi-bed rooms and shared spaces.

Typical yatakhane layouts featured long rooms with multiple beds, simple dividers, and shared amenities such as kitchens, washrooms, and common corridors. They were sometimes segregated by gender or function and could vary in size from modest dormitories to large barracks-style buildings.

In contemporary Turkish usage, the exact term yatakhane is less common; terms like öğrenci yurdu or yurt are widely used for student housing, while dormitory concepts persist under various names in modern institutions. Nevertheless, yatakhaneler remain part of the historical and architectural record of communal living in Turkey, with some surviving examples repurposed as cultural centers, hostels, or museums to reflect social history.

See also: dormitory, yurt, barracks.