Dwellings of the peoples of the world: booth, wigwam, Russian hut, igloo, hut, hut. Traditional houses of Central Asian countries: yurts, huts and caves

What are the traditions and customs of these peoples based on, what unites them in creating household and handicraft products, what are the differences and how did they manage to preserve their national characteristics?

The use of textile materials in peoples' homes Central Asia and the Caucasus depended on a number of factors: nomadic or sedentary lifestyle, the nature of heating, the presence of furniture and its height, ethnic traditions, and so on.

The dwellings of the peoples of Central Asia, Kazakhstan, the Nogais and Turkmen of the North Caucasus and part of the Kurds of the South Caucasus had an important interior feature of a nomadic lifestyle, where hanging textile bags, sacks, and cases were widely used. The technique for making these things was determined by ethnic or local customs. Thus, among the Turkmen they were made using the pile technique, among the Kazakhs and Nogais - mainly from felt, among the semi-nomadic Uzbeks - from woolen homespun. Northern Kyrgyz covered felt with purchased fabrics, primarily black cotton velvet.

The tradition of making this category of items among the southern Kyrgyz was truly luxurious and abounded in various options: with embroidery on suede, felt, homespun or purchased fabrics; in patchwork technique, in the technique of smooth carpet and pile weaving.

In the yurt, one of the dominant features of the interior was the wedding curtain, which separated the marital bed and, as it was believed, magically stimulated the fertility of the family. The curtain could be made from a piece of expensive purchased fabric, but, as a rule, it was embroidered or sewn from scraps. Among the Kirghiz, a mandatory element of the interior decoration of the yurt was a patterned ashkan mat, which served as a screen to enclose the kitchen.

Carpets and felt mats served as floor coverings.

The role and place of textile items in the interior of a sedentary dwelling in the agricultural oases of Central Asia was directly dependent on the methods of its heating. If the home was heated “black”, as in the Khorezm oasis or in Southern Tajikistan, then the main emphasis in the interior decor was on wooden carved elements. When heating using a fireplace or coals placed in a special recess in the floor; the ceiling and walls were painted, decorated with carved or cast plaster, and textile decorations were also widely used.

At the same time, the presence of an open source in permanent home The mountaineers of the North Caucasus were not prevented from using mats and felts to cover shelves with bedding and dishes. Since, according to tradition, there was practically no furniture in Central Asian homes, and the floor served as both a table and a bed, the quality of floor coverings was especially important. In the absence of local production of woolen products, the inhabitants of the oases bought them from the nomadic population.

Kazakh and Kyrgyz felt felts were very highly valued, and in the Fergana Valley also Kashgar ones - plain and ornamented. They purchased rugs from semi-nomadic Uzbeks and Arabs Gilem, usually with a striped pattern. Only wealthy families could buy pile carpets - especially expensive Turkmen challahs or more affordable Uzbek ones julkhirs with high pile. In the mountainous zone from Asia Minor to the Hindu Kush, floor coverings had another purpose: households covered themselves with carpets and sheets of fabric at night, placing them on a device resembling a stool without a seat, which was placed over a dim fireplace.

The bed culture, the main types of which were cotton mattresses - kurpacha, blankets and pillows, was very high, since these things characterized the wealth of the owners of the house. In addition, etiquette standards required a decent level of reception for guests, who were seated on mattresses covered with expensive silk and semi-silk Central Asian fabrics. Nomads bought such kurpachas in the markets, but they themselves made mattresses from cloth and velvet, often decorating them with embroidery. A special style distinguished kurpachas, sewn using the patchwork kurak technique, which was considered a magical protective agent in the region.

Residents of oases preferred cotton cushion pillows Lula, the covers for which were made from expensive fabrics. In Bukhara, pillows could have special decorative tassels. The nomadic population used rectangular long pillows, of which only one end part was decorated, since it was the only one visible in a stack of bedding juk. This part was made from scraps or embroidered.

Another similarity between the interior of the dwellings of the peoples of Central Asia and the South Caucasus along the Great Silk Road was the presence of stacks of blankets, carpets, felts, etc. Stack state juk, located in a prominent place in the home, was given special attention as a prestigious area of ​​the interior.

The most important function of a home is to protect a person from harmful influences environment. The people's dwelling of any geographical region, be it in the Arctic Circle or in the tropics, is adapted to the conditions of nature and climate. It is this property of a home in the hot zone that has recently attracted the attention of modern architects both here and abroad. Such interest, fully justified by the needs of construction practice, is, to be honest, somewhat belated. Necessity scientific approach construction climatology had seriously matured by the middle of this century, and in the 50s and 60s, methods for adapting construction to the conditions of the tropics were developed in detail. At the same time, the experience of the past was not taken into account, but now, peering into folk tradition, designers are discovering one after another prototypes of current sun-protection devices, although they are far from technical perfection. When studying the adaptation of people's housing to climate conditions, it is especially interesting to compare the empirical approach of the past with the conclusions modern theory. It is interesting to observe at the same time how the influence of identical climatic agents and, obviously, the exchange of experience caused different countries a well-known commonality of sun protection forms and techniques. The basics of modern climatology of the hot zone, in brief, come down to the following. A classification of climates has been adopted, which are divided into two main categories: 1) Warm, humid climate with high precipitation (typical of the equatorial belt). The temperature usually does not exceed 32 - 33 ° C with daily fluctuations of 4 - 8 ° C. The main problem is air humidity. 2) Hot, dry climate with temperatures up to 43°C and above, with sharp daily temperature changes. IN winter months humidity increases, but is always lower than in the first case. Practical recommendations for the first and second zones are in many ways directly opposite. Structures in a warm, humid climate should be light (thin walls and ceilings made of porous materials, wood or other types of panels); they, figuratively speaking, “have no memory” and easily take on the temperature of the internal air. For hot, dry climates, heavy structures (made of stone, baked brick, clay) are more advantageous; they have “thermal inertia,” i.e., they slowly heat up and cool down. This property is used by isolating the room from outside air during the day and keeping it cool at night. Thus, ventilation of premises in a dry climate occurs only at night, while in a humid climate it is carried out around the clock and is the main requirement for creating comfortable conditions. The layout of buildings in humid climates should be as open as possible, providing ventilation; in dry climates, reliable insulation from the external environment is desirable. In both cases, it is necessary to protect the openings from the glare of a cloudy sky (humid climate) or blinding sunlight (dry climate). To protect from the sun, many options for shading ribs, canopies and grilles have been developed. The republics of Central Asia are located between 36°70′ and 45th north latitude. The climate here is mostly dry and sharply continental, with rather cold but short-lived winters and hot summers. Here there are not only sharp daily temperature fluctuations, but also a significant (up to 30° or more) gap between winter and summer temperatures. Nevertheless, the climatic characteristics in their main indicators fit into the framework of the second category with all the ensuing requirements for housing. And the features of the home - its design, layout and internal structure - meet these requirements. The stationary type of housing has developed in most or to a lesser extent among all the peoples of Central Asia, especially among the ancient settled Tajiks and Uzbeks. In order to make the analysis of structures and other features of local housing more clear, a table of the main climatic parameters for the main cities of Central Asia, where folk housing has been studied most fully, is provided.

Thick layers of loess deposits on the plains of Central Asia provided builders with the simplest and most suitable material. The walls are made of raw derivatives of loess - raw, pakhsa (broken clay laid in layers) and guval clay pellets with a wooden frame, a beam roof with an earthen flooring provide excellent thermal insulation. In terms of their qualities, they represent pronounced “heavy” structures. At the same time, the nature of the structures flexibly follows the climatic characteristics of individual areas. The thickness of the roof is directly related to the amount of precipitation. In places where the amount of annual precipitation is 400 mm or more (Tashkent and especially Shakhrisyabz), the thickness of the roof reaches and even exceeds 50 cm (not counting the beams). In Khiva, where the amount of precipitation is insignificant, the thickness of the roof is reduced to 15 - 18 cm. The abundance of precipitation makes it necessary to take care of removing it from the roof. In Shakhrisyabz and Tashkent, to avoid erosion of the walls, all four facades of the building were equipped with protruding cornices, and water was drained by trays by slightly tilting the backfill and lubricating the roof. In other cities, they were content with a cornice on the facade where the openings go. Where there is no risk of erosion, the walls join the roof with a round edge. In Khiva and in Khorezm in general, it was enough to surround the roof with a side that protected the walls from water drainage. Often, even in the absence of a cornice, you can see ceiling beams sticking out - drying the ends protected the beams from rotting.

It is possible that the facades themselves can be adapted to rain. In the Khorezm “khauli” estates, the outer surface of the walls had a grooved texture, which was made in still damp clay with a special spatula. Such wall decoration most likely had some kind of utilitarian purpose. At one time, a version was put forward (which later aroused objections) that the grooves protect the wall from cracking. But we can also assume something else - the grooves “organize” rainwater along the surface of the wall. It should be taken into account the slightly inclined profile of the walls and the lack of plaster, which aggravates the impact of even small amounts of precipitation. As has been established, the relief texture of the walls is by no means indifferent to rain protection and affects the durability of concrete panels.

The thickness of the walls was not related to the requirements of thermal insulation (although there was a special hollow wall design). The weight of the thick earthen roof could not but affect the structure of the walls. But at the same time they played main role considerations of seismic resistance, as evidenced by the gradation of wall thickness in different cities. The Fergana Valley, especially Namangan, is one of the seismically threatened areas. Here, all four walls of the living space had a double frame with a thickness of 60-70 cm, and in Namangan - up to 90 cm. The walls, cut with deep niches, actually had the thickness of a single-row frame, but had spatial rigidity, which gave an advantage during ground vibrations. In Tashkent, also, all four walls of the room were of a double-row frame, but less thick (40 - 60 cm). In other cities, the construction is gradually becoming lighter. In Shakhrisyabz, the end wall of the room at the entrance was often made of a single-row frame; in Samarkand there were two such walls. In the rooms of Bukhara houses there is usually always one end wall with niches for blankets consisting of a two-row frame. In Khiva, where the January temperature is lower than Fergana, but the seismic intensity is low and the amount of precipitation is negligible, only single-row frame walls are used in the dwelling. Housing structures in southern Tajikistan deviate from the norm in the middle zone; The adobe walls without niches are covered with a gable thatched roof. In this case, roofless and attic types of coatings are observed. The first one is without a ceiling; in the second, the clay-coated beam covering is complemented by a freely ventilated gable canopy. The attic is used to store fuel and fodder. Nowadays the thatched roof is being replaced by corrugated asbestos plywood. The above analysis convincingly shows that when developing housing structures, local climate characteristics were always taken into account. The layout of the home has a direct connection with climate conditions. Countries with hot, dry climates are characterized by a type of house with courtyard. The configuration of a feudal city, constrained by a ring of fortress walls, contributed to the formation of closed estates: intra-block areas “sandwiched” on all sides are often completely isolated from the street. But not only social conditions dictated the closed nature of the home: a solid fence prevented street dust from entering the yard and helped create a tolerable microclimate. The courtyard played and continues to play the role of a thermal regulator, retaining the air layer cooled overnight until noon. Evening watering moisturizes and cools the yard - this is the simplest way to air condition. The air temperature in the yard is 4 - 5° below the street temperature. Through the courtyard there is a connection between the rooms, stretched in a single-row chain along the perimeter of the site.

IN major cities In Central Asia, the residential complex forms a closed system with a courtyard. Located along the perimeter of the site and with end walls connecting in one row, the rooms are open to the courtyard and face the street with their blank back side. The overall structure of the plan is determined by the number of rooms in the house and the size of the property. The premises cover the entire perimeter of the site or leave gaps filled by the blank back wall of a neighbor’s building or a yard fence. As the home expanded along with the growth of the family (resembling a living organism), the voids were gradually filled. The size of the property is sometimes reduced to 100 - 80 square meters. m. If possible, running water is provided into the yard, it is landscaped, which helps to improve the microclimate.

Charity wall newspaper for schoolchildren, parents and teachers of St. Petersburg “Briefly and clearly about the most interesting things.” Issue No. 88, February 2016.

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"Dwellings of the Nations of the World"

(66 “residential real estate objects” selected by us from “abylaisha” to “yaranga”)

Wall newspapers of the charitable educational project “Briefly and clearly about the most interesting things” (site site) are intended for schoolchildren, parents and teachers of St. Petersburg. They are delivered free of charge to most educational institutions, as well as to a number of hospitals, orphanages and other institutions in the city. The project's publications do not contain any advertising (only founders' logos), are politically and religiously neutral, written in easy language, and well illustrated. They are intended as informational “inhibition” of students, awakening cognitive activity and the desire to read. Authors and publishers, without claiming to be academically complete in presenting the material, publish interesting facts, illustrations, interviews with famous figures of science and culture and thereby hope to increase the interest of schoolchildren in the educational process.

Dear friends! Our regular readers have noticed that this is not the first time we have presented an issue in one way or another related to the topic of real estate. We recently discussed the very first residential structures of the Stone Age, and also took a closer look at the “real estate” of Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons (issue). We talked about the dwellings of the peoples who have long lived on the lands from Lake Onega to the shores of the Gulf of Finland (and these are the Vepsians, Vodians, Izhorians, Ingrian Finns, Tikhvin Karelians and Russians) in the series “Indigenous Peoples of the Leningrad Region” (, and issues). We looked at the most incredible and unique modern buildings in this issue. We have also written more than once about holidays related to the topic: Realtor Day in Russia (February 8); Builder's Day in Russia (second Sunday in August); World Architecture Day and World Housing Day (first Monday in October). This wall newspaper is a short “wall encyclopedia” of traditional dwellings of peoples from all over the world. The 66 “residential real estate objects” we selected are arranged alphabetically: from “abylaisha” to “yaranga”.

Abylaisha

Abylaisha is a camping yurt among the Kazakhs. Its frame consists of many poles, which are attached from above to a wooden ring - the chimney. The entire structure is covered with felt. In the past, similar dwellings were used in the military campaigns of the Kazakh Khan Abylai, hence the name.

Ail

Ail (“wooden yurt”) – traditional home Telengits, the people of Southern Altai. A log hexagonal structure with an earthen floor and a high roof covered with birch bark or larch bark. There is a fireplace in the middle of the earthen floor.

Arish

Arish is the summer home of the Arab population of the Persian Gulf coast, woven from the stems of palm leaves. A kind of fabric pipe is installed on the roof, which in extremely hot climates provides ventilation in the house.

Balagan

Balagan is the winter home of the Yakuts. Sloping walls made of thin poles coated with clay were strengthened on a log frame. The low, sloping roof was covered with bark and earth. Pieces of ice were inserted into small windows. The entrance is oriented to the east and covered with a canopy. On the western side, a cattle shed was attached to the booth.

Barasti

Barasti - on the Arabian Peninsula common name for huts woven from date palm leaves. At night, the leaves absorb excess moisture, and during the day they gradually dry out, moistening the hot air.

Barabora

Barabora is a spacious semi-dugout of the Aleuts, the indigenous population of the Aleutian Islands. The frame was made from whale bones and driftwood washed ashore. The roof was insulated with grass, turf and skins. A hole was left in the roof for entry and lighting, from where they descended inside along a log with steps cut into it. Drums were built on hills near the coast to make it convenient to observe sea animals and the approach of enemies.

Bordey

Bordei is a traditional semi-dugout in Romania and Moldova, covered with a thick layer of straw or reeds. Such a dwelling saved from significant temperature changes during the day, as well as from strong winds. There was a fireplace on the clay floor, but the stove was heated black: the smoke came out through a small door. This is one of the oldest types of housing in this part of Europe.

Bahareke

Bajareque is a Guatemalan Indian hut. The walls are made of poles and branches coated with clay. The roof is made of dry grass or straw, the floor is made of compacted soil. Bajareques are resistant to the strong earthquakes that occur in Central America.

Burama

Burama is the temporary home of the Bashkirs. The walls were made of logs and branches and had no windows. The gable roof was covered with bark. The earthen floor was covered with grass, branches and leaves. Inside, bunks were built from planks and a fireplace with a wide chimney.

Valkaran

Valkaran (“house of whale jaws” in Chukchi) – a dwelling among the peoples of the coast Bering Sea(Eskimos, Aleuts and Chukchi). A semi-dugout with a frame made of large whale bones, covered with earth and turf. It had two entrances: the summer one - through a hole in the roof, the winter one - through a long semi-underground corridor.

Vardo

Vardo is a gypsy tent, a real one-room house on wheels. It has a door and windows, a stove for cooking and heating, a bed, and drawers for things. At the back, under the folding side, there is a drawer for storing kitchen utensils. Below, between the wheels, there is luggage, removable steps and even a chicken coop! The entire cart is light enough that it could be pulled by one horse. Vardo was decorated with elaborate carvings and painted bright colors. Vardo flourished at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries.

Vezha

Vezha is an ancient winter dwelling of the Sami, the indigenous Finno-Ugric people Northern Europe. The vezha was made from logs in the shape of a pyramid with a smoke hole at the top. The frame of the vezha was covered with reindeer skins, and bark, brushwood and turf were laid on top and pressed down with birch poles for strength. A stone hearth was installed in the center of the dwelling. The floor was covered with deer skins. Nearby they placed a “nili” - a shed on poles. By the beginning of the 20th century, many Sami living in Russia were already building huts for themselves and calling them with the Russian word “house”.

Wigwam

Wigwam - the common name for the dwelling of the forest Indians North America. Most often it is a dome-shaped hut with a hole for smoke to escape. The frame of the wigwam was made of curved thin trunks and covered with bark, reed mats, skins or pieces of fabric. From the outside, the covering was additionally pressed with poles. Wigwams can be either round in plan or elongated and have several smoke holes (such structures are called “long houses”). Wigwams are often mistakenly called the cone-shaped dwellings of the Indians of the Great Plains - “teepees” (remember, for example, the “folk art” of Sharik from the cartoon “Winter in Prostokvashino”).

Wikieap

Wikiap is the home of the Apaches and some other Indian tribes of the Southwestern United States and California. A small, rough hut covered with branches, brush, straw or mats, often with additional pieces of cloth and blankets thrown over the top. A type of wigwam.

Turf House

The turf house has been a traditional building in Iceland since the days of the Vikings. Its design was determined by the harsh climate and the shortage of wood. Large flat stones were laid out on the site of the future house. A wooden frame was placed on them, which was covered with several layers of turf. They lived in one half of such a house, and kept livestock in the other.

Diaolou

Diaolou is a fortified multi-story building in Guangdong Province in southern China. The first diaolou were built during the Ming Dynasty, when gangs of robbers operated in Southern China. In later and relatively safe times such fortified houses were built simply following tradition.

Dugout

The dugout is one of the oldest and most widespread types of insulated housing. In a number of countries, peasants lived primarily in dugouts until the late Middle Ages. A hole dug in the ground was covered with poles or logs, which were covered with earth. There was a fireplace inside and bunks along the walls.

Igloo

An igloo is a domed Eskimo hut built from blocks of dense snow. The floor and sometimes the walls were covered with skins. To enter, they dug a tunnel in the snow. If the snow is shallow, the entrance was made in the wall, to which an additional corridor of snow blocks was built. Light enters the room directly through the snowy walls, although windows were also made covered with seal guts or ice floes. Often several igloos were connected to each other by long snowy corridors.

Izba

Izba is a log house in the forest zone of Russia. Until the 10th century, the hut looked like a half-dugout, built with several rows of logs. There was no door; the entrance was covered with logs and a canopy. In the depths of the hut there was a hearth made of stones. The hut was heated in black. People slept on mats on an earthen floor in the same room as the livestock. Over the centuries, the hut acquired a stove, a hole in the roof for smoke to escape, and then a chimney. Holes appeared in the walls - windows that were covered with mica plates or a bull's bladder. Over time, they began to partition the hut into two parts: the upper room and the entryway. This is how the “five-walled” hut appeared.

North Russian hut

The hut in the Russian North was built on two floors. The upper floor is residential, the lower (“basement”) is utility. Servants, children, and yard workers lived in the basement; there were also rooms for livestock and storage of supplies. The basement was built with blank walls, without windows or doors. An external staircase led directly to the second floor. This saved us from being covered with snow: in the North there are snowdrifts several meters deep! A covered courtyard was attached to such a hut. Long cold winters forced residential and outbuildings to be combined into a single whole.

Ikukwane

Ikukwane - a large domed reed house of the Zulus ( South Africa). They built it from long thin twigs, tall grass, and reeds. All this was intertwined and strengthened with ropes. The entrance to the hut was closed with a special shield. Travelers believe that Ikukwane fits perfectly into the surrounding landscape.

Kabáña

Cabáña is a small hut of the indigenous population of Ecuador (a state in northwestern South America). Its frame is woven from wicker, partially coated with clay and covered with straw. This name was also given to gazebos for recreation and technical needs, installed at resorts near beaches and pools.

Kava

Kava is a gable hut of the Orochi, an indigenous people of the Khabarovsk Territory (Russian Far East). The roof and side walls were covered with spruce bark, and the smoke hole was covered with a special tire in bad weather. The entrance to the home always faced the river. The place for the hearth was covered with pebbles and fenced with wooden blocks, which were coated with clay from the inside. Wooden bunks were built along the walls.

Let's say

Kazhim is a large Eskimo communal house, designed for several dozen people and a long service life. At the site chosen for the house, they dug a rectangular hole, at the corners of which tall, thick logs were placed (the Eskimos do not have local wood, so they used trees thrown ashore by the surf). Next, walls and a roof were erected in the form of a pyramid - from logs or whale bones. A frame covered with a transparent bubble was inserted into the hole left in the middle. The entire structure was covered with earth. The roof was supported by pillars, as were the benches-beds installed along the walls in several tiers. The floor was covered with boards and mats. A narrow underground corridor was dug for the entrance.

Kazhun

Kazhun is a stone structure traditional for Istria (a peninsula in the Adriatic Sea, in the northern part of Croatia). The cajun is cylindrical in shape with a conical roof. No windows. The construction was carried out using the dry masonry method (without the use of a binding solution). Initially it served as a dwelling, but later began to play the role of an outbuilding.

Karamo

Karamo – dugout of the Selkups, hunters and fishermen of the north Western Siberia. They dug a hole near the steep bank of the river, placed four pillars in the corners and made log walls. The roof, also made of logs, was covered with earth. They dug an entrance from the water side and disguised it with coastal vegetation. To prevent the dugout from flooding, the floor was gradually raised from the entrance. It was possible to get into the dwelling only by boat, and the boat was also dragged inside. Because of such unique houses, the Selkups were called “earth people.”

Klochan

A clochan is a domed stone hut common in the southwest of Ireland. Very thick, up to one and a half meters, walls were laid out “dry”, without a binder mortar. Narrow slits-windows, an entrance and a chimney were left. Such simple huts were built for themselves by monks leading an ascetic lifestyle, so you can’t expect much comfort inside.

Kolyba

Kolyba is a summer home for shepherds and woodcutters, common in the mountainous regions of the Carpathians. This is a log house without windows with a gable roof covered with shingles (flat chips). Along the walls there are wooden beds and shelves for things, the floor is earthen. There is a fireplace in the middle, the smoke comes out through a hole in the roof.

Konak

Konak is a two- or three-story stone house found in Turkey, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania. The structure, which resembles the letter “L” in plan, is covered by a massive tiled roof, creating deep shadow. Each bedroom has a covered overhanging balcony and steam room. Large quantity variety of premises satisfies all the needs of the owners, so there is no need for buildings in the yard.

Kuvaxa

Kuvaksa is a portable dwelling for the Sami during the spring-summer migrations. It has a cone-shaped frame of several poles connected at the tops, onto which a cover made of reindeer skins, birch bark or canvas was pulled. A fireplace was set up in the center. Kuwaxa is a type of chum and also resembles the tipi of the North American Indians, but is somewhat squat.

Kula

Kula is a fortified stone tower of two or three floors with thick walls and small loophole windows. Kula can be found in the mountainous regions of Albania. The tradition of building such fortified houses is very ancient and also exists in the Caucasus, Sardinia, Corsica and Ireland.

Kuren

Kuren (from the word “to smoke,” which means “to smoke”) is the home of the Cossacks, the “free troops” of the Russian kingdom in the lower reaches of the Dnieper, Don, Yaik, and Volga. The first Cossack settlements arose in plavny (river reed thickets). The houses stood on stilts, the walls were made of wicker, filled with earth and coated with clay, the roof was reed with a hole for smoke to escape. The features of these first Cossack dwellings can be traced in modern kurens.

Lepa-lepa

Lepa-lepa is the boat-house of the Badjao people of Southeast Asia. The Badjao, "sea gypsies" as they are called, spend their entire lives on boats in the Pacific Ocean's "Coral Triangle" - between Borneo, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands. In one part of the boat they cook food and store gear, and in the other they sleep. They go to land only to sell fish, buy rice, water and fishing gear, and also to bury the dead.

Mazanka

Mazanka is a practical rural house in the steppe and forest-steppe Ukraine. The mud hut got its name from an ancient construction technology: a frame made of branches, insulated with a reed layer, generously coated with clay mixed with straw. The walls were regularly whitewashed inside and out, which gave the house an elegant look. The four-slope thatched roof had large overhangs so that the walls would not get wet in the rain.

Minka

Minka is the traditional home of Japanese peasants, artisans and merchants. The minka was built from readily available materials: bamboo, clay, grass and straw. Instead of internal walls, sliding partitions or screens were used. This allowed the inhabitants of the house to change the layout of the rooms at their discretion. The roofs were made very high so that snow and rain would roll off immediately and the straw would not have time to get wet.

Odag

Odag is the wedding hut of the Shors, a people living in the southeastern part of Western Siberia. Nine thin young birch trees with leaves were tied at the top and covered with birch bark. The groom lit a fire inside the hut using a flint. The young people stayed in the odag for three days, after which they moved to a permanent home.

Pallasso

Pallasso is a type of dwelling in Galicia (northwest of the Iberian Peninsula). A stone wall was laid out in a circle with a diameter of 10-20 meters, leaving openings for the front door and small windows. A cone-shaped straw roof was placed on top of a wooden frame. Sometimes large pallasos had two rooms: one for living, the other for livestock. Pallasos were used as housing in Galicia until the 1970s.

Palheiro

Palheiro is a traditional farmhouse in the village of Santana in the east of the island of Madeira. It is a small stone building with a sloping thatched roof all the way to the ground. The houses are painted white, red and blue. The first colonizers of the island began to build Paliera.

Cave

The cave is probably the most ancient natural shelter of man. In soft rocks (limestone, loess, tuff), people have long carved out artificial caves, where they built comfortable dwellings, sometimes entire cave cities. So, in cave city Eski-Kermen in Crimea (pictured) rooms carved into the rock have fireplaces, chimneys, “beds”, niches for dishes and other things, water containers, windows and doorways with traces of hinges.

Cook

The cookhouse is the summer home of the Kamchadals, the people of the Kamchatka Territory, Magadan region and Chukotka. To protect themselves from changes in water level, housing (like a plague) was built on high stilts. Logs washed ashore by the sea were used. The hearth was placed on a pile of pebbles. The smoke came out of a hole in the middle of the sharp roof. Multi-tiered poles were made under the roof for drying fish. Cooks can still be seen on the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

Pueblo

Pueblo - ancient settlements of the Pueblo Indians, a group of Indian peoples of the Southwest of modern USA. An enclosed structure, built of sandstone or raw brick, in the form of a fortress. The living quarters were arranged on terraces of several floors, so that the roof of the lower floor was a courtyard for the upper one. They climbed to the upper floors using ladders through holes in the roofs. In some pueblos, for example, in Taos Pueblo (a settlement dating back thousands of years), Indians still live.

Pueblito

Pueblito - a small fortified house in the northwest American state New Mexico. 300 years ago they were allegedly built by the Navajo and Pueblo tribes, who defended themselves from the Spaniards, as well as from the Ute and Comanche tribes. The walls are made of boulders and cobblestones and held together with clay. The interior is also covered with clay coating. The ceilings are made of pine or juniper beams, on top of which rods are laid. Pueblitos were located on high places within sight of each other to allow long-distance communication.

Riga

Riga (“residential Riga”) is a log house of Estonian peasants with a high thatched or reed roof. In the central room, heated in black, they lived and dried hay. In the next room (it was called the “threshing floor”) grain was threshed and winnowed, tools and hay were stored, and livestock was kept in winter. There were also unheated rooms (“chambers”), which were used as storage rooms, and in warmer times as living quarters.

Rondavel

Rondavel is a round house of the Bantu peoples (southern Africa). The walls were made of stone. The cementing composition consisted of sand, earth and manure. The roof was made of poles made of branches, to which bundles of reeds were tied with grass ropes.

Saklya

Saklya is the home of the inhabitants of the mountainous areas of the Caucasus and Crimea. Usually this is a house made of stone, clay or raw brick with a flat roof and narrow windows similar to loopholes. If the sakli were located one below the other on the mountainside, the roof of the lower house could easily serve as a yard for the upper one. The frame beams were made to protrude to create cozy canopies. However, any small hut with a thatched roof can be called a sakley here.

Seneca

Senek is a “log yurt” of the Shors, a people of the south-eastern part of Western Siberia. The gable roof was covered with birch bark, which was secured on top with half-logs. The hearth was in the form of a clay pit opposite the front door. A wooden hook with a pot was suspended from a cross pole above the fireplace. The smoke was coming out of a hole in the roof.

Tipi

A tipi is a portable home for the nomadic Indians of the Great Plains of America. The tipi has a cone shape up to eight meters high. The frame is assembled from poles (pine - in the northern and central plains and juniper - in the southern). The tire is made from bison skins or canvas. A smoke hole is left on top. Two smoke valves regulate the draft of smoke from the hearth using special poles. In case of strong wind, the tipi is tied to a special peg with a belt. A teepee should not be confused with a wigwam.

Tokul

Tokul is a round thatched hut of the people of Sudan (East Africa). The load-bearing parts of the walls and conical roof are made from long mimosa trunks. Then hoops made of flexible branches are put on them and covered with straw.

Tulou

Tulou is a fortress house in the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong (China). The foundation was laid out of stones in a circle or square (which made it difficult for enemies to dig under during a siege) and the lower part of the wall, about two meters thick, was built. Higher up, the wall was built from a mixture of clay, sand and lime, which hardened in the sun. On the upper floors, narrow openings were left for loopholes. Inside the fortress there were living quarters, a well, and large containers for food. 500 people representing one clan could live in one tulou.

Trullo

Trullo is an original house with a conical roof in the Italian region of Puglia. The walls of the trullo are very thick, so it is cool there in hot weather, but not so cold in winter. The trullo was two-tiered; the second floor was reached via a ladder. Often a trullo had several cone roofs, under each of which there was a separate room.

Tueji

Tueji is the summer home of the Udege, Orochi and Nanai - the indigenous peoples of the Far East. A gable roof covered with birch bark or cedar bark was installed over the dug hole. The sides were covered with earth. Inside, the tueji is divided into three parts: female, male and central, in which the hearth was located. A platform of thin poles was installed above the hearth for drying and smoking fish and meat, and a cauldron was also hung for cooking.

Urasá

Urasa is the summer home of the Yakuts, a cone-shaped hut made of poles, covered with birch bark. Long poles placed in a circle were fastened on top with a wooden hoop. The inside of the frame was painted reddish-brown with a decoction of alder bark. The door was made in the form of a birch bark curtain, decorated folk patterns. For strength, birch bark was boiled in water, then scraped with a knife top layer and sewn together with a thin hair cord into stripes. Inside, bunks were built along the walls. There was a fireplace in the middle on the earthen floor.

Fale

Fale - the villagers' hut island state Samoa (South Pacific). A gable roof made from coconut palm leaves is mounted on wooden poles arranged in a circle or oval. Distinctive feature fale - absence of walls. If necessary, the openings between the pillars are covered with mats. The wooden structural elements are tied together with ropes woven from threads of coconut husks.

Fanza

Fanza is a type of rural dwelling in Northeast China and Far East Russia among indigenous peoples. A rectangular structure built on a frame of pillars supporting a gable thatched roof. The walls were made of straw mixed with clay. Fanza had an ingenious room heating system. A chimney ran from the clay hearth along the entire wall at floor level. The smoke, before exiting into a long chimney built outside the fanza, heated the wide bunks. Hot coals from the hearth were poured onto a special elevation and used to heat water and dry clothes.

Felij

Felij is a tent of Bedouins, Arab nomads. The frame of long poles intertwined with each other is covered with fabric woven from camel, goat or sheep wool. This fabric is so dense that it does not allow rain to pass through. During the day the awning is raised to ventilate the home, and at night or in strong winds it is lowered. The felij is divided into male and female halves by a curtain made of patterned fabric. Each half has its own hearth. The floor is covered with mats.

Hanok

Hanok is a traditional Korean house with mud walls and a thatched or tiled roof. Its peculiarity is the heating system: pipes are laid under the floor, through which hot air from the hearth is carried throughout the house. The ideal place for a hanok is considered to be this: behind the house there is a hill, and in front of the house there is a stream flowing.

Khata

Khata is a traditional home of Ukrainians, Belarusians, southern Russians and some Poles. The roof, unlike the Russian hut, was made of a hipped roof: straw or reed. The walls were erected from half-logs, coated with a mixture of clay, horse dung and straw, and whitewashed - both outside and inside. Shutters were certainly installed on the windows. Around the house there was a wall (a wide bench filled with clay), protecting the lower part of the wall from getting wet. The hut was divided into two parts: residential and utility, separated by a vestibule.

Hogan

Hogan is the ancient home of the Navajo Indians, one of the largest Indian peoples in North America. A frame of poles placed at an angle of 45° to the ground was intertwined with branches and thickly coated with clay. Often a “hallway” was added to this simple structure. The entrance was curtained with a blanket. After the first railroad passed through Navajo territory, the design of the hogan changed: the Indians found it very convenient to build their houses from sleepers.

Chum

Chum is the general name for a conical hut made of poles covered with birch bark, felt or reindeer skins. This form of housing is common throughout Siberia - from the Ural Range to the shores of the Pacific Ocean, among the Finno-Ugric, Turkic and Mongolian peoples.

Shabono

Shabono is the collective home of the Yanomamo Indians, lost in the Amazon rainforest on the border of Venezuela and Brazil. Large family(from 50 to 400 people) chooses a suitable clearing in the depths of the jungle and fences it off with pillars, to which a long roof made of leaves is attached. Inside this kind of hedge there remains open space for household work and rituals.

Shalash

Shalash is the general name for the simplest shelter from bad weather made from any available materials: sticks, branches, grass, etc. It was probably the first man-made shelter of ancient man. In any case, some animals, in particular great apes, create something similar.

Chalet

Chalet (“shepherd’s hut”) is a small rural house in the “Swiss style” in the Alps. One of the signs of a chalet is strongly protruding eaves overhangs. The walls are wooden, their lower part can be plastered or lined with stone.

Tent

A tent is the general name for a temporary light structure made of fabric, leather or skins, stretched on stakes and ropes. Since ancient times, tents have been used by eastern nomadic peoples. The tent (under different names) is often mentioned in the Bible.

Yurt

Yurt is the general name for a portable frame dwelling with a felt covering among Turkic and Mongolian nomads. A classic yurt can be easily assembled and disassembled by one family within a few hours. It is transported on a camel or horse, its felt covering protects well from temperature changes and does not allow rain or wind to pass through. Dwellings of this type are so ancient that they can be recognized even in rock paintings. Yurts are still successfully used in a number of areas today.

Yaodong

Yaodong is a cave house of the Loess Plateau of the northern provinces of China. Loess is a soft, easy-to-work rock. Local residents discovered this long ago and from time immemorial have dug their homes right into the hillside. The inside of such a house is comfortable in any weather.

Yaranga

Yaranga is a portable dwelling of some peoples of northeastern Siberia: Chukchi, Koryaks, Evens, Yukaghirs. First, tripods made of poles are installed in a circle and secured with stones. The inclined poles of the side wall are tied to the tripods. The dome frame is attached to the top. The entire structure is covered with deer or walrus skins. Two or three poles are placed in the middle to support the ceiling. Yaranga is divided by canopies into several rooms. Sometimes a small “house” covered with skins is placed inside the yaranga.

We thank the Education Department of the Kirovsky District Administration of St. Petersburg and everyone who selflessly helps in distributing our wall newspapers. Our sincere gratitude to the wonderful photographers who kindly allowed us to use their photographs in this issue. These are Mikhail Krasikov, Evgeniy Golomolzin and Sergei Sharov. Thank you very much Lyudmila Semyonovna Grek - for prompt consultations. Please send your feedback and suggestions to: pangea@mail..

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A dwelling is a structure or structure in which people live. It serves for shelter from bad weather, for protection from the enemy, for sleep, rest, raising offspring, and storing food. Local populations in different regions of the world have developed their own types of traditional dwellings. For example, among nomads these are yurts, tents, wigwams, and tents. In the mountainous areas they built pallasos and chalets, and on the plains - huts, mud huts and huts. The national types of housing of the peoples of the world will be discussed in the article. In addition, from the article you will learn which buildings remain relevant today and what functions they continue to perform.

Ancient traditional dwellings of the peoples of the world

People began to use housing since the times of the primitive communal system. At first these were caves, grottoes, and earthen fortifications. But climate change forced them to actively develop the skills of building and strengthening their houses. In the modern sense, "dwellings" most likely arose during the Neolithic, and stone houses appeared in the 9th century BC.

People sought to make their homes stronger and more comfortable. Now many ancient dwellings of one or another people seem completely fragile and dilapidated, but at one time they served their owners faithfully.

So, about the dwellings of the peoples of the world and their characteristics in more detail.

Dwellings of the peoples of the north

The conditions of the harsh northern climate influenced the characteristics of the national structures of the peoples who lived in these conditions. The most famous dwellings northern peoples are booth, tent, igloo and yaranga. They are still relevant today and fully meet the requirements of the absolutely difficult conditions of the north.

This home is remarkably adapted to harsh conditions. climatic conditions And nomadic image life. They are inhabited by peoples engaged primarily in reindeer herding: Nenets, Komi, Entsy, Khanty. Many people believe that the Chukchi also live in a tent, but this is a misconception; they build yarangas.

The chum is a tent in the shape of a cone, which is formed by high poles. This type of structure is more resistant to gusts of wind, and the conical shape of the walls allows snow to slide over their surface in winter and not accumulate.

They are covered with burlap in the summer and with animal skins in the winter. The entrance to the tent is covered with burlap. To prevent snow or wind from getting under the lower edge of the building, snow is raked from the outside to the base of its walls.

In the center there is always a fire, which is used to heat the room and cook food. The temperature in the room is approximately 15 to 20 ºС. Animal skins are laid on the floor. Pillows, feather beds and blankets are made from sheep skins

The chum is traditionally installed by all family members, from young to old.

• Showcase.

The traditional home of the Yakuts is a booth; it is a rectangular structure made of logs with a flat roof. It was built quite easily: they took the main logs and installed them vertically, but at an angle, and then attached many other logs of smaller diameter. Afterwards the walls were smeared with clay. The roof was first covered with bark, and a layer of earth was poured on top of it.

The floor inside the dwelling was trampled sand, the temperature of which never dropped below 5 ºС.

The walls consisted of a huge number of windows, before starting severe frosts covered with ice, and in the summer with mica.

The hearth was always located to the right of the entrance, it was smeared with clay. Everyone slept on bunks, which were placed to the right of the hearth for men and to the left for women.

• Igloo.

This is the housing of the Eskimos, who did not live very well, unlike the Chukchi, so they did not have the opportunity or materials to build a full-fledged home. They built their houses from snow or ice blocks. The structure had a dome shape.

The main feature of the igloo device was that the entrance had to be below floor level. This was done to ensure that oxygen entered the home and carbon dioxide evaporated; in addition, this location of the entrance made it possible to retain heat.

The walls of the igloo did not melt, but melted, and this made it possible to maintain a constant temperature in the room of approximately +20 ºС even in severe frosts.

• Valkaran.

This is the home of the peoples living along the coast Bering Sea(Aleuts, Eskimos, Chukchi). This is a half-dugout, the frame of which consists of whale bones. Its roof is covered with earth. An interesting feature of the dwelling is that it has two entrances: the winter one - through a multi-meter underground corridor, the summer one - through the roof.

• Yaranga.

This is the home of the Chukchi, Evens, Koryaks, and Yukaghirs. It's portable. Tripods made of poles were installed in a circle, inclined wooden poles were tied to them, and a dome was attached on top. The entire structure was covered with walrus or deer skins.

Several poles were placed in the middle of the room to support the ceiling. The yaranga was divided into several rooms with the help of curtains. Sometimes a small house covered with skins was placed inside it.

Dwellings of nomadic peoples

The nomadic way of life formed special kind dwellings of the peoples of the world who do not live settled down. Here are examples of some of them.

• Yurt.

This is a typical type of structure among nomads. It continues to be a traditional home in Turkmenistan, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Altai.

This is a dome-shaped dwelling covered with skins or felt. It is based on large poles, which are installed in the form of gratings. There is always a hole on the roof of the dome for smoke to escape from the hearth. The domed shape gives it maximum stability, and the felt maintains its constant microclimate indoors, not allowing either heat or frost to penetrate there.

In the center of the building there is a fireplace, the stones for which are always carried with you. The floor is laid with skins or planks.

The home can be assembled or disassembled in 2 hours

The Kazakhs call a camping yurt abylaysha. They were used in military campaigns under the Kazakh Khan Abylay, hence the name.

• Vardo.

This is a gypsy tent, essentially a one-room house that is mounted on wheels. There is a door, windows, a stove, a bed, and drawers for linen. At the bottom of the wagon there is a luggage compartment and even a chicken coop. The cart is very light, so one horse could handle it. Vardo became widespread at the end of the 19th century.

• Felij.

This is the tent of the Bedouins (Arab nomads). The frame consists of long poles intertwined with each other, it was covered with a cloth woven from camel hair, it was very dense and did not allow moisture to pass through when it rained. The room was divided into male and female parts, each of them had its own fireplace.

Dwellings of the peoples of our country

Russia multinational country, on whose territory more than 290 people live. Everyone has their own culture, customs, and yours traditional forms dwellings Here are the most striking of them:

• Dugout.

This is one of the oldest dwellings of the peoples of our country. This is a hole dug to a depth of about 1.5 meters, the roof of which was made of planks, straw and a layer of earth. The inside wall was reinforced with logs, and the floor was coated with clay mortar.

The disadvantages of this room were that smoke could only escape through the door, and the room was very damp due to the proximity of groundwater. Therefore, living in a dugout was not easy. But there were also advantages, for example, it completely ensured security; in it one could not be afraid of either hurricanes or fires; it maintained a constant temperature; she did not miss loud sounds; practically did not require repairs or additional care; it could easily be built. It is thanks to all these advantages that dugouts were very widely used as shelters during the Great Patriotic War.

• Izba.

The Russian hut was traditionally built from logs using an axe. The roof was made gable. To insulate the walls, moss was placed between the logs; over time, it became dense and covered all the large cracks. The outside walls were coated with clay, which was mixed with cow dung and straw. This solution insulated the walls. A stove was always installed in a Russian hut, the smoke from it came out through the window, and only starting from the 17th century they began to build chimneys.

• Kuren.

The name comes from the word “smoke,” which meant “to smoke.” The traditional home of the Cossacks was called kuren. Their first settlements arose in the floodplains (river reed thickets). The houses were built on stilts, the walls were made of wicker, coated with clay, the roof was made of reeds, and a hole was left in it for the smoke to escape.

This is the home of the Telengits (people of Altai). It is a hexagonal structure made of logs with a high roof covered with larch bark. The villages always had an earthen floor and a hearth in the center.

• Kava.

The indigenous people of the Khabarovsk Territory, the Orochi, built a kava dwelling, which looked like a gable hut. The side walls and roof were covered with spruce bark. The entrance to the home was always from the river. The place for the hearth was laid out with pebbles and fenced with wooden beams, which were coated with clay. Wooden bunks were built near the walls.

• Cave.

This type of dwelling was built in mountainous areas composed of soft rocks (limestone, loess, tuff). People cut down caves in them and built comfortable homes. In this way, entire cities appeared, for example, in the Crimea, the cities of Eski-Kermen, Tepe-Kermen and others. Fireplaces were installed in the rooms, chimneys were cut, niches for dishes and water, windows and doors.

Dwellings of the peoples of Ukraine

The most historically valuable and famous dwellings of the peoples of Ukraine are: hut, Transcarpathian kolyba, hut. Many of them still exist.

• Muzanka.

This is an ancient traditional dwelling of Ukraine; unlike the hut, it was intended for living in areas with a mild and warm climate. They built it from a wooden frame, the walls consisted of thin branches, on the outside they were smeared with white clay, and on the inside with a mortar of clay mixed with reeds and straw. The roof consisted of reeds or straw. The mud hut house had no foundation and was not protected from moisture in any way, but served its owners for 100 years or more.

• Kolyba.

In the mountainous regions of the Carpathians, shepherds and woodcutters built temporary summer dwellings, which were called “kolyba”. This is a log house that had no windows. The roof was gable and covered with flat chips. Wooden beds and shelves for things were installed along the walls inside. There was a fireplace in the middle of the dwelling.

• Hut.

This is a traditional type of home among Belarusians, Ukrainians, southern Russian peoples and Poles. The roof was hipped, made of reeds or straw. The walls were built from half-logs and coated with a mixture of horse manure and clay. The hut was whitewashed both outside and inside. There were shutters on the windows. The house was surrounded by a zavalinka (a wide bench filled with clay). The hut was divided into 2 parts, separated by a vestibule: residential and utility.

Dwellings of the peoples of the Caucasus

For the peoples of the Caucasus, the traditional dwelling is the saklya. It is a one-room stone structure with dirt floors and no windows. The roof was flat with a hole for the smoke to escape. Sakli in mountainous areas formed entire terraces, adjacent to each other, that is, the roof of one building was the floor of another. This type of structure served a defensive function.

Dwellings of the peoples of Europe

The most famous dwellings of European peoples are: trullo, palliaso, bordei, vezha, konak, culla, chalet. Many of them still exist.

• Trullo.

This is a type of dwelling of the peoples of central and southern Italy. They were created by dry masonry, that is, the stones were laid without cement or clay. And if one stone was removed, the structure would collapse. This type of structure was due to the fact that it was prohibited to build houses in these areas, and if inspectors came, the structure could easily be destroyed.

Trullos were one-room with two windows. The roof of the building was cone-shaped.

• Pallasso.

These dwellings are characteristic of the peoples living in the northwest Iberian Peninsula. They were built in the highlands of Spain. These were round buildings with a cone-shaped roof. The top of the roof was covered with straw or reeds. The exit was always on the east side; the building had no windows.

• Bordey.

This is a semi-dugout of the peoples of Moldova and Romania, which was covered with a thick layer of reed or straw. This oldest type housing in this part of the continent.

• Klochan.

The home of the Irish, which looks like a domed hut built of stone. The masonry was used dry, without any solutions. The windows looked like narrow slits. Basically, such dwellings were built by monks who led an ascetic lifestyle.

• Vezha.

This is the traditional home of the Sami (Finno-Ugric people of northern Europe). The structure was made of logs in the form of a pyramid, with a smoke hole left at it. A stone hearth was built in the center of the vezha, and the floor was covered with reindeer skins. Nearby they built a shed on poles, which was called nili.

• Konak.

A two-story stone house that was built in Romania, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia. This building in plan resembles the Russian letter G; it was covered with a tiled roof. There was huge amount premises, so there was no need for outbuildings at such houses.

• Kula.

It is a fortified tower, built of stone, with small windows. They can be found in Albania, the Caucasus, Sardinia, Ireland, and Corsica.

• Chalet.

This is a rural house in the Alps. It is distinguished by protruding cornice overhangs and wooden walls, the lower part of which was plastered and lined with stone.

Indian Dwellings

The most famous Indian dwelling is the wigwam. But there are also buildings such as teepees and wickiups.

• Indian wigwam.

This is the home of the Indians living in the north and northeast of North America. Nowadays, no one lives in them, but they continue to be used for various kinds of rituals and initiations. It is dome-shaped and consists of curved and flexible trunks. At the top there is a hole for smoke to escape. In the center of the dwelling there was a fireplace, along the edges there were places for rest and sleep. The entrance to the home was covered with a curtain. The food was prepared outside.

• Tipi.

Dwelling of the Great Plains Indians. It has a cone-shaped shape up to 8 meters high, its frame consisted of pine trees, covered with bison skins on top and reinforced with pegs at the bottom. This structure was easily assembled, disassembled and transported.

• Wikiap.

Home of the Apaches and other tribes living in the southwestern United States and California. This is a small hut covered with branches, straw, and bushes. It is considered a type of wigwam.

Dwellings of the peoples of Africa

The most famous dwellings of the peoples of Africa are considered to be rondavel and ikukwane.

• Rondavel.

This is the home of the Bantu people. It has a round base, a cone-shaped roof, stone walls, which are held together with a mixture of sand and manure. Inside, the walls were coated with clay. The top of the roof was covered with reeds.

• Ikukwane.

This is a huge domed reed house that is traditional to the Zulus. Long twigs, reeds, and tall grass were intertwined and reinforced with ropes. The entrance was closed with special shields.

Dwellings of the peoples of Asia

The most famous dwellings in China are diaolou and tulou, in Japan - minka, in Korea - hanok.

• Diaolou.

These are multi-story fortified fortified houses that have been built in southern China since the Ming Dynasty. In those days, there was an urgent need for such buildings, since gangs of bandits operated in the territories. In a later and calmer time, such structures were built simply according to tradition.

• Tulou.

This is also a fortress house, which was built in the form of a circle or square. On the upper floors, narrow openings were left for loopholes. Inside such a fortress there were living quarters and a well. Up to 500-600 people could live in these fortifications.

• Minka.

This is the dwelling of Japanese peasants, which was built from scrap materials: clay, bamboo, straw, grass. The functions of internal partitions were performed by screens. The roofs were very high so that snow or rain would roll down faster and the straw would not have time to get wet.

• Hanok.

This is a traditional Korean home. Clay walls and tiled roof. Pipes were laid under the floor, through which hot air from the hearth circulated throughout the house.