This document summarizes Jordanian vernacular architecture, which varied based on geographical regions and available materials. It discusses the different architectural styles used in the desert, Jordan River Valley, and highland villages. Tents were commonly used in the desert due to their portability. In villages, wealthy landowners lived in courtyard homes while poorer sharecroppers lived in simple rectangular stone structures. Unfortunately, most vernacular architecture has been abandoned as the population has modernized and urbanized.
Neo-futurism is a late 20th–early 21st century movement in the arts, design, and architecture. It is a departure from the cynical attitude of post-modernism and represents an idealistic belief in a better future and "a need to periodize the modern rapport with the technological".
This avant-garde movement is a futuristic rethinking of the aesthetic and functionality of rapidly growing cities.
The industrialization that began worldwide following the end of the Second World War gave wind to new streams of thought in life, art and architecture, leading to post-modernism, neo-modernism and then neo-futurism.
In the Western countries, futurist architecture evolved into Art Deco, the Googie movement and high-tech architecture, and finally into Neo-Futurism.
Neo-futuristic urbanists, architects, designers and artists believe in cities releasing emotions, driven by eco-sustainability, ethical values and implementing new materials and new technologies to provide a better quality of life for city-dwellers.
Neo-futurism has absorbed sоme оf the high-tech architecture’s themes аnd ideas, incorporating elements оf high-tech industry аnd technology іntо building design: technology and context is the focus of some architects of this movement such as Buckminster Fuller, Norman Foster, Kenzo Tange, Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers, Frei Otto, and Santiago Calatrava.
مادة التحكم البيئي / الجامعه الاردنيه/ صيفي 2015
Bioclimatic analysis is a systematic procedure for the assessment of thermal comfort in relation to external climate. It has the purpose of identifying desirable adaptations of structure to meet human comfort needs under specific climatological conditions.
This paper depicts a vast knowledge on vernacular architecture of India. Vernacular architecture refers to the buildings which are constructed by the knowledge of local technology and craftsmanship, using locally available building materials; simultaneously, ensuring climatic comforts to the users. Thus vernacular architecture is related to the climatic issues, cultural and socio-economic conditions of different regions of any country. Hence, India is a country with diversified climate and socio-cultural conditions. Here, each region has its own unique characteristics of building design in the form of climate-responsive vernacular architecture. The aim of this paper is to assemble all those different types of vernacular practices throughout the different climatic regions of India.
Neo-futurism is a late 20th–early 21st century movement in the arts, design, and architecture. It is a departure from the cynical attitude of post-modernism and represents an idealistic belief in a better future and "a need to periodize the modern rapport with the technological".
This avant-garde movement is a futuristic rethinking of the aesthetic and functionality of rapidly growing cities.
The industrialization that began worldwide following the end of the Second World War gave wind to new streams of thought in life, art and architecture, leading to post-modernism, neo-modernism and then neo-futurism.
In the Western countries, futurist architecture evolved into Art Deco, the Googie movement and high-tech architecture, and finally into Neo-Futurism.
Neo-futuristic urbanists, architects, designers and artists believe in cities releasing emotions, driven by eco-sustainability, ethical values and implementing new materials and new technologies to provide a better quality of life for city-dwellers.
Neo-futurism has absorbed sоme оf the high-tech architecture’s themes аnd ideas, incorporating elements оf high-tech industry аnd technology іntо building design: technology and context is the focus of some architects of this movement such as Buckminster Fuller, Norman Foster, Kenzo Tange, Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers, Frei Otto, and Santiago Calatrava.
مادة التحكم البيئي / الجامعه الاردنيه/ صيفي 2015
Bioclimatic analysis is a systematic procedure for the assessment of thermal comfort in relation to external climate. It has the purpose of identifying desirable adaptations of structure to meet human comfort needs under specific climatological conditions.
This paper depicts a vast knowledge on vernacular architecture of India. Vernacular architecture refers to the buildings which are constructed by the knowledge of local technology and craftsmanship, using locally available building materials; simultaneously, ensuring climatic comforts to the users. Thus vernacular architecture is related to the climatic issues, cultural and socio-economic conditions of different regions of any country. Hence, India is a country with diversified climate and socio-cultural conditions. Here, each region has its own unique characteristics of building design in the form of climate-responsive vernacular architecture. The aim of this paper is to assemble all those different types of vernacular practices throughout the different climatic regions of India.
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI)inventionjournals
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of Humanities and Social Science. IJHSSI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Humanities and Social Science, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI)inventionjournals
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of Humanities and Social Science. IJHSSI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Humanities and Social Science, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online
Environmental Transformations in the Egyptian Village التحولات البيئية فى الق...Galala University
This paper will focus on the process of transformation and change taking place in Egyptian villages and its impact on the health and life of its inhabitants and the surrounding environment.
تركز هذه الورقة على عملية التحول والتغيير التي تجري في القرى المصرية وأثره على صحة وحياة سكانها والبيئة المحيطة.
Rev. Confi rming Pages1 C H A P T E R 1 .docxjoellemurphey
Rev. Confi rming Pages
1
C H A P T E R 1 ���������
THE AZANDE
Witchcraft and Oracles in Africa
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River Mb o mu
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SEA
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Juba
EGYPT
S U D A N
ERITREA
E T H I O P I A
DEM. REP. OF THE
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C H A D
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LIBYA
C E N T R A L
A F R I C A N R E P U B L I C
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150 300 mi
150
ZANDE DISTRICT
Area Occupied
by the Azande
Location of the Azande in southwestern Sudan.
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Rev. Confi rming Pages
2 Chapter 1: The Azande
� T HE B EGINNING
There are those who can set broken bones. Only they, and people healed by
them, can do this. The fi rst of them long ago fathered a child, and the child had
no arms and no legs. He was round, like a cooking pot. People saw him and
knew he was a child of Mbori, the supreme being. The ancestor had a dream.
In the dream he was told to burn the child, and this he did. He was told to take
the child’s ashes and mix them with oil; this he could use to heal broken limbs.
The ancestor did all he was told to do. He used the ashes of the child born
with no limbs and created the clan of those who can heal the broken limbs of
others.
� I NTRODUCTION AND H ISTORY
The Azande people live in a large area in the center of Africa, in the southwestern
Sudan, north of Zaire and to the east of the Central African Republic. Sudan
is Africa’s largest country, measuring roughly a quarter the size of the United
States. This is an area of rolling hills with abundant rivers and streams. On the
banks of the waters grow tall trees, which provide shade in which to build home-
steads. However, Azande fell victim to sleeping sickness spread by the tse-tse fl y,
which breeds in thick bush. Sudanese authorities, concerned about this exposure,
forced them to relocate to concentrated settlements near roads. (The closeness of
the houses in these new settlements was especially problematic. Formerly, struc-
tures along the riverbanks could be spread far apart; this was preferable to the
Azande, who feared neighbors’ potential witchcraft, which was only effective at
close range.)
The peoples known collectively as the Azande are a melding together of
what were separate clans in the past. In earliest times, the clans who lived along
the banks of the waters were autonomous local groups. Clan disputes were set-
tled within the families of which they were composed. Disputes between clans
were settled by elders from each. Zande history tells of a single individual who,
through his wisdom and kindness, gained power within his own clan, the Avon-
gara. Soon, under his able leadership, it became the dominant group. Moving
eastward along the riverbanks, the Avongara conquered more than 50 other
clans and eventually amalgamated into one Zande group. The history of the are ...
Transformation of Berber Traditional Planning and Living Spaces
*Dr. ASMAA SAADA1, Dr. DJAMEL DEKOUMI2
1 Faculty of Architecture, University Hadj LAkhdar, Batna
2 Faculty of Architecture, University Salah BOUBNIDER, Constantine
E mail1: luminaria.cos@hotmail.fr Email2: dj.dekoumi@gmail.com
A B S T R A C T
Most The Algerian Berber region was animated by a network of human settlements built according to the urban model of the Islamic medina and its traditional habitat of adobe. Various rural and urban development and transformation of planning and living spaces have recently come under the pressure of rapid urban growth. This study aims to analyze and compare Berber domestic spaces across a sample of houses from Aures valley, this region of Algeria which presents distinctive geological, geographical and historical characteristics. The study will look, first at the houses, then at similarities and differences in space configuration in order to pose questions of how this traditional architecture with its climatic and cultural solutions could be utilized or transplanted in the new urban context. The study focuses particularly on observing and analyzing different factors which influence urban life like social patterns, family lifestyle, migration which may have led to some modifications in the social structure. This attempt to analyse and compare the physical structure of Berber housing and settlements in Algeria might help to better understand the planning space organization and give us clues to the formulation of communities in the past; their culturally and climatically significant design methodology has considerable relevance to contemporary architecture. This study attempts to learn how the traditional Berber built environment may be considered as a good example of an end product of an interaction between constant elements such as the religious factors, the climate, the landscape and changeable elements such as economic, technological and industrial means, that is to say a product of a societal process.
First workshop of the REFIT project (refitproject.com) - Bibracte, March 2016
Exploring integrated approaches to cultural landscapes
Current strategies, problems and potential
Iron Age oppida as a case study
I wrote this paper from a brief to create a where-to-from-here discussion paper based on notes from a number of council officers and information from a number of council policies.
This study is to investigate the relationship between the cultural landscapes in Asia and Asian Modernity. The cultural landscapes chosen are from the UNESCO World Heritage Listing, up to 2013. The second variable, modernity, is the result of simultaneous and contradictory influences and consequences of homogenization, pluralization, and hybridization of the material and non-material items.
The basic information of Asian countries, where the cultural landscapes are situated is to ground a foundation for readers to understand the location of the site, its’ population and density, ethnic majority, governance system, and followed by the nominated criteria of UNESCO. The sites are then linked to the contemporary backdrop to reveal the great diversity of the interactions between humans and their environment over the time span, to see whether they are sustaining the traditional living cultures, and to see how the current politics, socio and economic circumstances influence the sites.
The analysis is based on four categories: (i) Early human settlement and spiritual sites (Grottos and sacred sites), (ii) Economy and cultural activity prove (plantation, mining and trading route), (iii) Ancient township and empire remains, and (iv) Intentional human intervention landscape. Out of the 17 cultural landscapes in Asia, 16 are considered highly relevant with its modernity, except Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape (Azerbaijan).
To draw the relationship in this study, it is inevitable subjective. It prompts further question whether the result would be different if the continent would have changed? Also, since the result is positive, it further urges the relevant institutions to further brainstorming on what could be done, either through urban upgrading, humanitarian improving, rehabilitation of heritage, sustainable urban conservation and etc., to further enhance the cultural landscapes in this modern day.
Integration by place, case and process: Transdisciplinary sustainability scie...joernfischer
Sustainability science is an emerging arena of scientific enquiry. Unlike traditional disciplinary research, sustainability science seeks to transcend boundaries between disciplines, and between researchers and other societal stakeholders. Here, I summarize five years of team research that investigated trajectories for sustainable development in Southern Transylvania, Romania. This region boasts some of Europe's most notable natural and cultural heritage, including traditional land use systems and their associated biodiversity (from wildflower meadows to the European Brown Bear). However, rapid socioeconomic changes, and associated changes in land use, are now threatening these traditional heritage values. The aim of our research was to better understand the changes taking place in order to obtain insights for how they may be navigated. To this end, we integrated insights from the social sciences and ecological sciences with local expert knowledge via an approach centered around the notions of "place", "case" and "process". This integration approach focuses all research participants on a shared problem (here, landscape change in Transylvania) and common units of analysis (here, selected villages), and emphasizes informal methods of knowledge integration. In the past five years, among others, we surveyed plants, butterflies, birds and mammals at over 120 sites; we interviewed hundreds of people about rural development, living with carnivores, and their aspirations for the future; we involved 18 stakeholder groups in developing scenarios exploring the future; and we prepared a traveling exhibition, an outreach tour, and a bilingual book to share our research findings with local communities. This presentation summarizes key highlights of this research project and considers avenues in which similar approaches could also be useful in other settings.
history of contemporary architecture - 18. The capitalist city, Megalopolis, ...Dania Abdel-aziz
history of contemporary architecture - 18. The capitalist city, Megalopolis, Edge cities, The indigenous city, The colonial city
الشكر للدكتورة مجد الحمود
MATATAG CURRICULUM: ASSESSING THE READINESS OF ELEM. PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS I...NelTorrente
In this research, it concludes that while the readiness of teachers in Caloocan City to implement the MATATAG Curriculum is generally positive, targeted efforts in professional development, resource distribution, support networks, and comprehensive preparation can address the existing gaps and ensure successful curriculum implementation.
Biological screening of herbal drugs: Introduction and Need for
Phyto-Pharmacological Screening, New Strategies for evaluating
Natural Products, In vitro evaluation techniques for Antioxidants, Antimicrobial and Anticancer drugs. In vivo evaluation techniques
for Anti-inflammatory, Antiulcer, Anticancer, Wound healing, Antidiabetic, Hepatoprotective, Cardio protective, Diuretics and
Antifertility, Toxicity studies as per OECD guidelines
it describes the bony anatomy including the femoral head , acetabulum, labrum . also discusses the capsule , ligaments . muscle that act on the hip joint and the range of motion are outlined. factors affecting hip joint stability and weight transmission through the joint are summarized.
The simplified electron and muon model, Oscillating Spacetime: The Foundation...RitikBhardwaj56
Discover the Simplified Electron and Muon Model: A New Wave-Based Approach to Understanding Particles delves into a groundbreaking theory that presents electrons and muons as rotating soliton waves within oscillating spacetime. Geared towards students, researchers, and science buffs, this book breaks down complex ideas into simple explanations. It covers topics such as electron waves, temporal dynamics, and the implications of this model on particle physics. With clear illustrations and easy-to-follow explanations, readers will gain a new outlook on the universe's fundamental nature.
A review of the growth of the Israel Genealogy Research Association Database Collection for the last 12 months. Our collection is now passed the 3 million mark and still growing. See which archives have contributed the most. See the different types of records we have, and which years have had records added. You can also see what we have for the future.
Executive Directors Chat Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and InclusionTechSoup
Let’s explore the intersection of technology and equity in the final session of our DEI series. Discover how AI tools, like ChatGPT, can be used to support and enhance your nonprofit's DEI initiatives. Participants will gain insights into practical AI applications and get tips for leveraging technology to advance their DEI goals.
A workshop hosted by the South African Journal of Science aimed at postgraduate students and early career researchers with little or no experience in writing and publishing journal articles.
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
Safalta Digital marketing institute in Noida, provide complete applications that encompass a huge range of virtual advertising and marketing additives, which includes search engine optimization, virtual communication advertising, pay-per-click on marketing, content material advertising, internet analytics, and greater. These university courses are designed for students who possess a comprehensive understanding of virtual marketing strategies and attributes.Safalta Digital Marketing Institute in Noida is a first choice for young individuals or students who are looking to start their careers in the field of digital advertising. The institute gives specialized courses designed and certification.
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3. 106
features as well as economic activities (mainly agri-
culture and livestock) by semi or wholly nomadic
cultures which still exist today.
The use of local and easily accessible materi-
als (earth, stone and wood) lay testimony to the
human ability to adapt to harsh local conditions,
such as a very hot and dry climate with scarce
water resources.
What has survived of Jordanian vernacular
architecture is generally a rural type architecture,
where living spaces are one with crop conservation
areas and animal shelters. Where the presence of a
courtyard plays a important role for outdoor activ-
ities and represents an extension of the home.
Many villages were founded in the early nine-
teenth century when the Ottoman Empire promoted
agriculture in Bilad al Sham (Greater Syria) in order
to compensate a shortage in agricultural produc-
tion from the Balkans, at the time subject to politi-
cal unrest. With an aim to promote agriculture, the
“Land Code” was initiated in 1858. It became man-
datory to register all cultivated lands whereas lands
left unattended for more than three years would be
confiscated by the government (Daher, 1999).
Vernacular architecture still exists. It is possible
to recognize various typological solutions accord-
ing to three territorial areas (the desert, the Jordan
River Valley and the Transjordan highlands) and
the availability of materials.
Unfortunately, only a limited number of the old
settlements are still inhabited (usually by senior
individuals) and many homes have been converted
into storage burns (Khammash, 1986).
2.1 The desert house
In the desert the traditional house is a tent. It has
been used for thousands of years by Bedouin pop-
ulations (both nomadic and semi-nomadic) who
live primarily raising livestock such as sheep, goats
and camels.
The tent, made of dense animal-fiber cloth and
supported by wooden poles, protects from both the
sun and occasional but extreme torrential rains,
and maintains a comfortable inner temperature,
especially during scorching hot days.
Tents come in variable sizes and are usually
divided into several rooms (from 2 to 6 depending
on family and husbandry size). While tent rooms
may have a variety of uses (such as hosting animals
or guests), they do not necessarily have a fixed use.
During the day, when protection from sand-
storms is not necessary, one of the tent’s longer
sides is kept open, in order to provide natural ven-
tilation. Two fires are generally lit inside, one in the
women’s kitchen and other in the “living room”,
where men lie, or talk business with a hot pot of tea
(Pizziolo and Cataldi, 1985).
2.2 The villages of the Transjordan highlands
Before the establishment of Jordan as an inde-
pendent state in 1946, the Jordanian population
was mainly composed of semi-nomads who settled
in villages (Al Haija, 2012).
Implementation of the Ottoman Land Code
(see paragraph 2) produced a gradual stratification
of the village community into two groups. Namely,
landowners (mellakin), who first settled in the vil-
lages and were able to register most nearby lands;
and share-croppers (fellahin), who worked the land
for the landowners and who on rare occasions were
able to register some land of their own.
In many settlements there was also a strong con-
nection between cadastral patterns and power rela-
tions on the one hand, and architectural patterns
and village morphology on the other. Mellakin
families resided at the highest levels of the village,
building beautiful courtyard-style houses with elab-
orate detailing and vaulted roof systems. Fellahin
settled in small scattered houses in the lower parts
of the village. A third social group also existed, land-
owning families who arrived later in the growth of
the village and settled in an intermediate location
between these two groups (Daher, 1999).
2.2.1 The fellahin house
The basic typology is constituted by a single rec-
tangular room with an approximate dimension
Figure 1. A Bedouin tent in the Wadi Rum desert
(Panoramio).
Figure 2. A basic fellahin house in Iraq Al Amir Village
(Eliana Baglioni, 2010).
4. 107
of 400 cm × 600 cm and is divided into two areas
by an “arch-wall”. The house is based on a single
floor and has a flat roof. In many cases, an outdoor
ramp allows access to the roof.
The perimeter walls are made of “dry” stone
masonries, fitted without mortar. They are very thick
walls, consisting of three layers (two external and
one filler). The outsides layers are in stone masonry
whereas the filler is of compacted earth mixed with
smaller stones (Marino and Lodino, 1999).
Both exterior stone walls are variable in thick-
ness, are generally laid with care, have regular stone
layers and have well interlocking between elements,
at least at the corners.
While there are no transverse elements which fully
cross the thickness of the wall from one side to the
other, a number of stones generally reach beyond
half the total thickness and are placed alternately
between both masonry, thus allowing the interlock-
ing between the external walls and the earth fill, giv-
ing the wall more stability and ensuring structural
collaboration between the three layers of the wall.
The internal masonry wall can also be built with
smaller stones of irregular size; in this case it is
usually set on a mud mortar and plastered with
clay plaster.
The “arch-walls”, called riwaq or gantara (Al
Haija, 2012), are built with “dry” stone in a single
masonryormorerarelywiththesamethree-layerwall
technique. The thickness can vary from 50 to 100 cm
(Marino and Lodino, 1999). These arches occupy the
whole extension of the room. The “arch-wall”is gen-
erally of the lowered type (more rarely constituted by
two semi-circulars or centers) and has large sets that
lock with the perimetral masonries. The “arch-walls”
effectively act as buttresses or form the base of the
house-wall rather than being bonded into the house-
wall (McQuitty, 2007). Another important function
is to decrease the light between the walls and allow
the use of smaller wood beams for the flat roof.
With this system, niches are generated in the
space between the “arch-walls” which are in turn
usually transformed into rawiyat, or silos for crop
storage.
These areas are raised from floor level through
lowered stone vaults and filled to the top with com-
pacted earth in order to obtain a flat surface. The
space below the vault is used as a warehouse.
The silos is generally closed up to the ceiling
by a thin stone masonry wall or wooden structure
filled with earth and straw mixture and has only
two small openings: a small hole at the base, where
preserved cereals can be withdrawn and a hole in
the roof, to introduce new material. The interior
of the silos is completely coated with an earthen
plaster with straw fiber: this implies that the plas-
ter must be laid before construction of the roof
(Marino and Lodino, 1999).
Ultimately, much of the house is used as a ware-
house and various niches are located within the
thick walls.
The area used as living room by day and bed-
room by night, called mastaba, is also raised from
floor level. It is finished with a well-pressed dirt
floor made of several layers by means of a rolling-
stone called madhaleh.
Sometimes, in order to ensure privacy, the bed-
rooms, mastaba, are separated from the others
areas by a hanging carpet, called albjad (Al Haija,
2012).
The area used for domestic activities, called
qaalbeit, also has a dirt floor, executed with less
care, or rarely also stone plates.
Furniture is very rare and is made of earth and
straw mixtures and in organic forms such as small
grain containers called khabieh (Al Haija, 2012).
These homes feature a single door, always placed
parallel to the “arch-walls” and, when present, a
small windows opening in the upper part of the
walls (Marino and Lodino, 1999). Finally, a small
hole in the ceiling serves as a chimney.
The characteristic darkness and small dimen-
sions of the house are partly the result of the con-
servative culture of the inhabitants, where women
are protected and not to be seen in public, and
partly the result of the relatively short daily pres-
ence of men inside these shelters, as they spend
most of their time grazing their livestock far away
from the village (Al Haija, 2012).
This unit is considered as the basis for later
house expansion depending on an increase in the
number of family components and on financial
capacity. (Abdelmajeed and Abdelaziz, 2012).
Startingfromthebasictypologythusfardescribed,
there are many variants or developments.
The first variation is represented by the presence
of a larger home, where interior spaces are divided
by 2 or a maximum of 3 parallel “arch-walls” and
wheremorethantwofamiliescanlivetogether.These
houses can also contain special areas for domesti-
cated animals called mithwads (Al Haifa, 2012).
Figure 3. An “arch-wall” and interior of a fellahin
house (Eliana Baglioni, 2010).
5. 108
The second variation are houses consisting
of more “basic cells”. These houses belong to
extended families where each family has its own
home and where some of the activities are carried
out together. In other cases, they are homes where
one or more families live but where functions are
clearly separated in different cells (living spaces,
external silos and spaces for animals).
A third variation consists in a distribution of
the rooms around the inner courtyard, which has
closed sides. This tipology is considered as one of
the evolving patterns in the village, which indicates
a high social status of its owner and a clear expres-
sion of his financial capacity. Generally, the patio
appears in only one house within the village and
is the house of the tribe leader (Abdelmajeed and
Abdelaziz, 2012; Daher, 1999).
Most of the houses have an outdoor closed yard
for some of the daily activities.
The outdoor courtyard almost always faces east
and is surrounded by walls built with unworked
small stone slaid without mortar to about two
meters in height. The floor is paved with stones or
is of dirt.
The courtyard is divided into very different
areas where a manual mill (molar), an earthen
bread oven (tin or tabun), an outdoor rest platform
(mastaba), a cistern (birke), earthenware water
containers (djarra) and niches used as warehouses
may be found (Marino and Lodino, 1999). The
courtyard contains all the materials and equipment
required by the agro-pastoral family such as piles
of dry grass, mangers, livestock water buckets and
arbors of large twigs to accommodate livestock
and protect them from sun and rain.
There are also spaces to store manure and cat-
tle dung used as organic fertilizers in agriculture or
for heating (Abdelmajeed and Abdelaziz, 2012).
In the most simple houses where the courtyard
is absent, some of these functions are performed
on the roof, which is accessed by a ramp. The ramp
is built with the same technique of the outer walls,
or with two exterior stone walls with an internal fill
in compacted earth.
Fallahin houses are isolated or in groups to form
small neighborhoods.
In this second case, buildings are constructed in
a compact form attached to one another and sepa-
rated by few narrow alleys.
Villages may also have communal latrines and
shared bread ovens (taboun), used by all their resi-
dents (Al Haija, 2012).
2.3 The Jordan Valley house
The river Jordan is the only significant waterway
in the country. It separates Jordan from Israel and
Palestine and extends to the Dead Sea. The area
near the river was always populated thanks to fer-
tile soil and rich agriculture.
The traditional houses of the Jordan Valley and
the Dead Sea coast are usually isolated in the midst
of farmland and are built with “adobe”, molded
mud sun dried bricks. The choice of using mud
bricks depends on the ready availability of clayey
earth and on the high thermal inertia of this mate-
rial, which can maintain comfortable temperatures
inside the house during hot days which can exceed
50°C.
While these houses are single story, modular
and flat-roofed, they nevertheless differ typologi-
cally from the stone houses of the highlands.
The base module is a square shaped room with
a single entry from the outside and often also has
small windows or openings.
Rarely do valley homes consist of only one
room. On the contrary, they consist of 2 to 5 mod-
ules arranged “in-line”, i.e. one next to the other.
Each module has separate access from the outside
and small internal doors which allow passage from
one to the other.
The above conformation suggests a sharp dis-
tinction in the use of spaces. In many cases, one of
Figure 4. A village in the region of Petra (Eliana Bagli-
oni, 2010).
Figure 5. Adobe house near the south coast of the
Dead Sea (Eliana Baglioni, 2010).
6. 109
the modules has two sides fully open and operates
as a covered patio which separates the house into
two sectors. Namely, the home (kitchen, bedroom
and living room) and the warehouse or animal
shelter.
The mud brick walls have a thickness of at least
50 cm and are built with a good tie between the
bricks, albeit the connection between perpendicu-
lar walls is often missing.
The mud bricks are made of a mixture of clay, a
little straw fiber and some gravel. The earthen walls
are erected on a stone basis in order to provide pro-
tection from damp soil or (rare) floods The earthen
mortar in the masonry appears placed with greater
care at horizontal joints (between adobe courses)
rather than at vertical joints.
The clay plaster is almost always present,
whether internally or externally.
The richest houses, which belonged to the land
owners, are surrounded by green trees which pro-
vide shade. These houses are more complex with
rooms arranged around a central courtyard. In cer-
tain cases, rooms are subdivided by “arch-walls” as
in the fellahin house.
Valley houses are rarely surrounded by walls
which close the patio and blend with the surround-
ing landscape.
2.4 Common construction technique solutions
Both the highland and valley houses present some
constants in technology, which consist mainly in
the use of a flat roof and clay plaster.
2.4.1 The flat roof
The roof is made of several layers and with various
materials, each with its own function.
The roof structure is made by wooden beams
(khashab) but may present variations, depending
on a number of factors such as the amount of light
to cover, the availability and type of wood.
It is possible to distinguish four types of
structures:
– single order structures with beams ranging from
wall to wall or from wall to "arch-wall" with a
25 cm wheelbase;
– double order structures with a central beam
from wall to wall and small section perpendicu-
lar beams with a 40–60 cm wheelbase;
– double order structures with a double central
beam and small section perpendicular beams;
– a framework with small section beams ranging
from wall to wall in both directions.
The available wood generally consists in irregu-
lar trunks of limited section, which are unworked
and provides the appearance of a particularly dis-
ordered structure.
First-order beams (main beams) have a circu-
lar cross section varying from 18 to 25 cm and no
more than 3 meters in length. For the second order
(secondary beams), branches are used. These are no
more than 2.5 m long with an 8–12 cm section. The
most commonly used species are pine (snobar), a
local tree found in the southern desert areas (ar’ara),
juniper, poplar (hawr) and sometimes oak (ballut).
Above the wooden structure there is a frame-
work (hadjizz) which consists of parallel reeds
(qassaba) forming a flat surface, in turn stiffened
by a transversely placed rod. Such frameworks are
worked on the floor and then placed on top of the
structural beams.
A layer of thorny plants (ballan) are placed
above the hadjizz. These have the function of pro-
tecting the reeds framework from mice and avoids
direct contact between reed and layer of com-
pacted earth realized above them. This practice is
more widespread in south-central Jordan and in
some cases directly replaces the reeds framework.
Sometimes, in order to better protect the struc-
ture, small branches of oleander (duffla) are used
instead of thorny plants. These possess very fibrous
and poisonous leaves and last well overtime.
The most evident element of the roof is a layer
of pressed earth (trab), mixed with straw and,
sometimes, gravel and small stones. The damp
earthen mixture is compacted through stone rolls
(mahdaleh) or by use of hands and feet. The total
compacted earth layer can reach over 40 cm of
thickness with a weight of 400–500 kg/m2
and
produces excellent natural insulation and thermal
comfort inside the house. The same cannot be
said of new concrete decks or zinc plates that are
spreading across the country.
In order to protect the compacted earth layer,
a final layer of fine grained water-proof plaster is
laid. This is called tawf (Marino and Lodino, 1999)
or samag (Al Haija, 2012). This final plaster is pre-
pared directly above the roof and is placed on top
Figure 6. A courtyard adobe house near the southern
coast of the Dead Sea (Eliana Baglioni, 2010).