In the desert areas from the eastern Iran to western Afghanistan, traditional houses have curved roofs. As modernization progresses, such traditional houses are gradually disappearing from the region. However, in Herat, an old city in Western Afghanistan, traditional houses with domical vault are still left in their original form within the urban area. This study examines features of traditional houses with domical vaults in Herat through interviews of traditional builders and case studies of three houses including field surveys and interviews conducted with residents. Through this research, it finds that the structures of walls and domical vault vary depending on the time of construction, number of stories and size of rooms inside the houses. The study also finds that the materials used for walls and roofs differ according to the economic conditions of the families. Some conclusions are drawn about the architectural features of traditional houses with domical vaults in Herat.
Herat is an old city in Western Afghanistan on Silk Road known for its cultural heritages. However, as the urban population increases rapidly, the city is under strong development pressure. This study looks at the extent of physical change as well as changes of residents in the Momandha Quarter in the southwestern part of Herat Old City, where many traditional adobe houses with domed roofs are preserved relatively well until now. Through field survey, it finds that activities of new constructions and repairs using industrialized materials have been accelerated in the last 10 years as new residents are moving into the old neighborhoods attracted by lower property prices. The traditional landscape of the quarter is rapidly changing as a result and conservation means are urgently needed. Afghanistan, Herat Old City, physical change, background of residents, conservation
Traditional houses in Western Afghanistan have domical vault roofs. Such houses are not limited to the Old City but are instead distributed throughout the municipal area of Herat. For this study, we used satellite images from 2017 to locate 11,754 houses with domical vault roofs within the municipal area of Herat and then calculated their density. Field surveys were conducted to investigate the sites with a higher density of such houses. The study identified seven high-density sites and classified them into three groups; 1) monumental, 2) pre-1960s old residential villages along canals and 3) post-1960s residential settlements at the urban fringe.
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