IMG_7578 - Records of 1538 say that Ottoman sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, gave these villages to his son-in-law Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha.
IMG_7580 - A public water tap. At one time there were ~1000 houses, mostly merchants who traded in Transylvania, including Braşov.
IMG_7581 - Konstantsalieva House was a Bulgarian merchant's house, built in the late 16th century by the Tafrili family.
IMG_7583 - Such aristocrats had very protective homes due to gangs of robbers, as well as plagues of disease.
IMG_7584 - The family lived on the upper floor with the kitchen, servants' quarters, storage rooms, and animals below.
IMG_7590 - Large sofa-beds served for both sleeping and community sitting.
IMG_7591 - A wife had a large bed for herself and all her children. It was used both day and night.
IMG_7593 - Temperatures go below 0°C here, so most rooms have built-in stoves.
IMG_7594 - A new mother and her baby stayed in isolation for 40 days to avoid early exposure to diseases. Food was delivered via a closed entryway.
IMG_7595 - A large room heater, called a dzhamal, which was fed and cleaned from behind the wall.
IMG_7596 - The kitchen with its large fireplace and sofa
IMG_7597 - The house is furnished to reflect its 17th and 18th century heydays