List of References Al-Dbiyat, M. 1995, Homs et Hama en Syrie Centrale, concurrence urbaine et développement régional, Damas. Al-Jundi, Gh. 1984, L’architecture traditionnelle en Syrie, Collection Établissements humains et environnement socio-culturel, 33 UNESCO, Paris. Al-Maqdissi, M. 2007, ‘Note d’Archéologie Levantine, X, Introduction aux travaux archéologiques syriens à Mishirfeh/Qatna au nord-est de Homs-Émèse’, Urban and Natural Landscapes of an Ancient Syrian Capital, Settlement and Environment at Tell Mishrifeh/Qatna in Central-Western Syria, Morandi Bonacossi, D. (ed.), Udine, pp. 19-27 Al-Maqdissi, M. 20081, ‘Réflexion sur Qatna et sa région’, Studia Orontica, III, pp. 3-41. Al-Maqdissi, M. 20082, ‘Matériel pour l’étude de la ville ancienne en Syrie’, Studia Orontica, IV, pp. 5-10 Al-Maqdissi, M. 20083, ‘The Development of trade Routes in the early Second Millennium bc’, Aruz, J., Benzel, K. & Evans, J. M., Beyond Babylon, Art, Trade, and Diplomacy in the Second Millennium bc, New York, pp. 42-44. Al-Maqdissi, M. 2009, ‘Notes d’Archéologie Levantine XVI, remarque sur l’organisation urbaine dans la région Homs à l’âge du Bronze’, forthcoming in the proceedings of Colloque de Lisbonne. Aurenche, O. 1981, La maison orientale, l’architecture du Proche-Orient ancien des origines au milieu du quatrième millénaire, Paris. Bendakir, M. 2008, Archtitecture de terre en Syrie, une tradition de onze millénaires, CRAterre, Grenoble – Damas. Castel, C., Al-Maqdissi, M. & Villeneuve, Fr. (eds) 1997, Les maisons dans la Syrie antique du IIIe millénaire aux début de l’Islam, pratiques et représentations de l’espace domestique, Beyrouth. Pütt, K. 2005, Whonen und Bauen im ländlichen Syrien, Zelte, Kuppeln und Hallenhäusen, Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg. Thoumin, R. 1933, La maison syrienne dans la plaine hauranaise, le bassin du Barada et sur les plateaux du Qalamoun, Paris. Tunca, Ö., Meunier, J.-M., Lamisse, J.-Cl. & Stockeyr, E. 1991, Architecture de terre, architecture mère, Liège, Université de Liège.
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Earthen Domes and Habitats
In most cases, this architecture has been preserved under exceptional circumstances: - a lack of economic means to transform the former habitat; - the abandonment of a town for economic reasons; - the remoteness of a village development network established by the state after independence; - by the expropriation of former villages such as Mishrifeh-Qatna. The earthen houses studied are usually located on the outskirts of villages and have little varied architectural morphology, controlled technically by the builders of this region. The dome may include one or more parts, building a storage area or a poultry house, or extending throughout the dwelling. Broadly speaking, we present the available material and we hope, by involving all of the attestations of earthen architecture in Syria, to lead to valuable conclusions for the future study of such construction techniques. A comparison with findings preserved in the archaeological record will identify the characteristics of this ancient architecture, which could date back to very remote periods indeed. We present all documentation obtained during the fieldwork in the following summarised descriptions of each selected village.