The purpose of this study is to investigate the behavior of traditional timber structures against earthquakes.Timber houses were built in many parts of Turkey, in regions which are susceptible to earthquakes. In order to find out the earthquake resistant aspect of Turkish timber houses, the houses in the area affected by the recent earthquakes in 1999 were surveyed. The records of the Ministry of Culture's listing Office have been helpful in finding proper documentation about the historic timber structures in the region. The settlements of Kocaeli, Yalova, Adapazarı and Düzce which lie in the region crossed by the North Anatolian Fault suffered severely from the 1999 earthquakes; in fact, devastating earthquakes have affected the buildings in this region throughout history. The old timber frame houses in the region are usually from the end of the nineteenth century or from early twentieth century. The survey revealed that historic houses in the center of Adapazarı were affected most by the 1999 earthquakes. These structures had already been subjected to the tremors of two severe earthquakes in 1943 and 1967. Several houses in the region survived the shocks with minor damage, or without total collapse; these were generally houses in which the owners were still living. The study has revealed that the resistance of timber houses to earthquakes is gained by the good design of the structure, the use of good building materials and methods. Another important observation was that the modern timber houses in the study area had very good performances in the 1999 earthquakes.