Earthen domes and habitats. Villages of Northern Syria

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Earthen Domes and Habitats

clochane (IRL)

twlc mochyn Wales ash house (UK)

weinbergshaeuschen (D)

crot (CH) hiska (SLO) kazun (HR)

cabane (F)

komarda bunja trim vrtujak

caprile (I)

chozo (E)

pagliaddu (F) trullo (I)

barraca (E) pont (E)

pinnetta (I)

bombo(E)

gima (M)

mitata (GR) mantarah (PAL)

then of course it stood in front of the wall, in it, behind it or outside the wall, completely independently. Internal elements such as niches, windows, door openings, chimneys and ventilation are matters of need (Fig.10). External elements that appear are merely an expression of the builder and the desire of the owner for emphasis. The latter is connected with old religious beliefs, which are sometimes contradictory: for example, a pinnacle at the top of the roof is supposed to drive off evil spirits, as well as lightning. Others say that it attracts them so that men do not enter. In Spain and in the Yemen, the window frame is painted with lime: against

nawamis (Synai) howd (Yemen)

Fig. 11: Stone shelters can be found from Iceland to the Yemen, from Lanzarote to Palestine (Documentation: Borut Juvanec, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia).

evil spirits. In reality, insects like to breed in the dry-stone walling and lime inhibits their access into the interior of the object. Stone shelters generally stand on their own, each in its own area of pasture; only rarely are they set in a group (such as for example around Ĺ ibenik). Small ĹĄiĹĄka, as they are also called in Slovenia, can also be the fruit of an enthusiastic herdsman, who builds as many as five on his own pasture. In terms of type, stone shelters of the Mediterranean are as follows (Fig. 11).

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Earthen domes and habitats. Villages of Northern Syria

Published on Sep 21, 2013

DIDA

Earthen traditions are far too valuable to dismiss as irrelevant to the modern world and indeed future generations, they must remain as an example to the caring and ecologically aware architects and builders that are emerging around the world. (…) This European Union Project, and this book, have been achieved through a successful co-operation between the University of Florence, several European Universities and Institutions and the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums in Syria, adds a valuable window, shedding light on the northern Syria tradition of striking domed houses. The ICOMOS Scientific Committee for Earthen Architectural Heritage applauds and encourages such excellent publications in the search for an accurate and useable worldwide typology and description of earthen buildings. This book contributes a great deal to these goals.