READING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADITIONAL HOUSING AND CULTURE IN SOMALIA THROUGH THE SPACE SYNTAX METHOD; THE CASE OF MOGADISHU

International Yeditepe Scientific Research Congress IV , 21 - 22 Mart 2026, ss.216-241, (Tam Metin Bildiri)

In many societies, residential space constitutes the fundamental spatial framework in which family

structure, social relations, and cultural values are produced and reconstructed within daily life. The

trend towards standardization in housing production, which has become widespread with globalization,

is increasingly rendering invisible the unique forms of spatial organization that are nourished by the

local context and reflect cultural codes in the space. In contrast, traditional housing typologies offer

important reference areas that clearly reveal how cultural norms, social hierarchies, and daily life

practices are structured at the spatial level.

Within this context, traditional urban houses in Mogadishu, located along the East African coast,

provide a distinctive case for examining the relationship between culture and spatial organization.

Traditional townhouses in Mogadishu Somalia produce a distinct spatial hierarchy based on a lifestyle

rooted in large, multi-generational family structures, the distinction between guest houses and regular

residences, gender-based spatial usage patterns, and security concerns. This study assumes that the

spatial organization in these residences creates consistent and recurring spatial patterns in accordance

with the principles of privacy, gender-based segregation, and security.

In this research, traditional urban housing examples in Mogadishu were analyzed using the spatial

syntax method. The spatial syntax approach offers an analytical tool that makes the social logic of space

visible by allowing the evaluation of inter-space relationships through numerical parameters. In the

study, the internal organizational structure of housing plans was examined through quantitative and

comparable data using basic spatial parameters such as connectivity, wholeness, average depth, control,

choice, readability, and accessibility.

The findings reveal that cultural norms produce distinct spatial hierarchies in housing plan schemes. It

was determined that the concept of privacy and gender-based usage practices directly influence spatial

arrangement; and that inward-facing plan structures and controlled transition systems develop in

accordance with these cultural principles. It has been observed that public spaces open to interaction

possess higher values of integrity and connectivity, while private living spaces are distinguished by

increasing values of depth and control.

In conclusion, the study analytically reveals the relationship between cultural structure and spatial

organization in traditional housing in Mogadishu and demonstrates that the spatial syntax method offers

an effective tool in analyzing the housing-culture relationship. The research provides a methodological

and conceptual contribution to traditional housing studies in the Somali context; it makes visible the

potential of local architectural heritage to serve as a reference for contemporary housing discussions.