There were times when a “warm floor”, a comfortable kitchen and a spacious courtyard were not a priority when choosing a private house. At that time, houses were necessary for sleep and protection from animals, therefore reliable walls and a solid roof over their heads, capable of saving from natural disasters, were valued in them. However, despite the minimum requirements and limited capabilities, our ancestors built many incredibly beautiful traditional houses, striking in their aesthetics today. Today you will learn about the most beautiful ethnic dwellings from around the world. They have something to surprise, starting from fancy roofs and ending with round walls.
7 cool looking traditional houses:
1
Thrulls, Italy
To see the thrills, you will need to go to the south of the Apennine peninsula, to the heel itself. These fancy houses are mostly located in Alberobello, in the region of Puglia, and are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Most houses date back to the 16th century, but some of them were built in the 14th century.
At that time, the inhabitants of Puglia used all available materials for the construction of housing. Archaeologists have found that the trolls were built from limestone boulders that were collected from nearby fields. Thick walls of houses folded without the use of mortar, and protected people from the cold in winter, acting as a heat insulator. Their thickness also provided coolness in the summer, without letting in hot air outside. The cone-shaped roof was built in a special way from limestone slabs. If you pull out at least one brick from the roof, then it immediately collapsed. This design was due to the fact that at that time the construction of houses in Puglia was prohibited. However, people were allowed to build houses that could be quickly dismantled.
Roofs of trolls were often sprinkled with ashes, local residents believed that this rite would ward off failure. Today, some huts have been converted into tourist houses, where they can spend the night experiencing all the charms of life in medieval Italy.
By the way, there is an interesting article about the most beautiful houses in the world on our site most-beauty.ru.
2
Sod houses, Iceland
Since Icelandic turf houses are made of peat blocks that are laid on top of wooden frames, they have moss and grass growing on top of the walls and roof, which makes them almost invisible against the backdrop of Iceland's landscapes. The tradition of building turf houses originated in the 9th century, when the Vikings from Scandinavia used up almost the entire Icelandic forest. For this reason, peat began to be used as a building material, which turned out to be much more practical than wood, acting as a heater during severe Icelandic winters.
Although there are still many turf houses in Iceland, they are no longer the main type of dwelling on the island. Although, according to National Geographic, back in the late 19th century, Icelandic turf houses made up about half of the houses in the country. Today, concrete is the main building material used by Icelanders to build houses. It is noteworthy that the "country of volcanoes and geysers" is not the only place on earth where sod houses are built. They can also be seen in Norway, Scotland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, although construction technologies in these countries may not match.
3
Cave houses, Turkey
Goreme Valley, which in Central Turkey fascinates with its unusual landscape. The sight of tourists reveals bizarre rock formations, somewhat reminiscent of tall mushrooms. These formations were the result of volcanic eruptions. Despite the gloomy appearance, this area has become a haven for the population of the region, which hollowed out religious structures, hiding places and shelters inside the soft breed.
Since for centuries many nations passed through Goreme, who were not always friendly, people used rocky terrain to hide from enemies, connecting “cave houses” with tunnels, which allowed creating entire settlements that protected people from wars and religious oppression. The first such settlement is dated I millennium BC. e. Starting from the 4th century, caves were also used as religious sanctuaries.
Today, the cave settlements of Cappadocia and the Goreme National Park are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Tourists can visit cave houses, some of which are converted into hotels, and receive guests daily.
On our site most-beauty.ru you can admire the caves, mysterious and beautiful.
4
Yurts, Central Asia
Yurts are called large portable dwellings (a prototype of a modern tent) made of flexible wooden frame and dense fabric covering the “skeleton” of a folding house. Although the yurts look like tents, they are much more comfortable and more suitable for living. Usually, each yurt is equipped with a stove, and the floor is covered with a carpet. The editors of most-beauty.ru were also interested in the experiment of analysts from National Geographic. They compared the yurts of different regions of Central Asia, and found that installing one can take from thirty minutes to three hours.
Although yurts are mainly associated with Mongolia, they can be found in much larger areas of Asia. They have long been used by nomadic Asian tribes, as well as cattle-breeding communities in Eastern Europe, the most western of which are in Romania and Hungary. Interestingly, in the Mongolian language the word “yurt” is pronounced “ger” and is synonymous with the word “house”.
Yurts have existed in the steppes of Central Asia for millennia, and are still popular. More than half of the population of Mongolia today lives in garas, including approximately 60% of the inhabitants of the capital Ulan Bator and 90% of the rural population.
5
Ruma Gadang, Indonesia
Translated from the Minangkabau language, Ruma Gadang means "big house." This is the traditional home of an ethnic group in Indonesia, which is a rectangular-shaped house with a unique gabled roof made of corrugated iron or straw. The frame of the Ruma Gadang consists of twelve, twenty or thirty wooden pillars, which usually raise the dwelling a meter or two from the ground.
Despite the fact that recently residents of Sumatra prefer brick houses to traditional wooden, Ruma Gadang can still be found on the island, mainly in the countryside. Although today they are mainly used not for living, but as a venue for religious rites and ceremonies. The use of living space inside houses largely reflects the social organization and traditions of the Minangkabau people. For example, women can sleep in various parts of the gadanga room, depending on their reproductive status. It is also interesting that these houses are female possession, and are inherited from mothers to daughters.
6
Chalet, Western Alps
Chalets are called simple wooden houses located in the western part of the Alps. Initially, they were built by shepherds to live in the months when their animals grazed in remote pastures in the mountains. Although the chalets are often associated with Switzerland, the classic mountain houses that we think of when planning trips to the mountains were designed by architects from Germany, France and England. Today, chalets can be found anywhere in the world, but they are most common in the Alps.
Usually, chalets are built of wooden planks with a large pitched roof overhanging the walls. Wooden balconies and lovely shutters (often carved) are also an integral part of mountain houses. The classic version of the chalet can be found in Switzerland, namely at the foot of the famous peak of the Matterhorn.
7
Pueblo Homes, Southwest USA
Pueblo is an architectural style inherent to the indigenous people of the same name in the southwestern United States. Pueblo houses are a construction of sun-dried raw brick and a roof with a wooden frame. The raw material, which is the basis for the brick, is a mixture of sand, water, grass and straw. The walls of the houses of Pueblo are incredibly thick, they save from the hot climate, which is famous for the area.
The style of Pueblo is mainly represented by multi-storey buildings, where the roof acts as a kind of terrace or the basis for the next floor. Usually, ladders were used for lifting, since the ground floors were not equipped with an entrance door and were used as "storage rooms". Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, boasts the canonical houses of Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
For several hundred years these houses have been the dwelling for the indigenous population. Of course, in these houses there is no electricity, no running water, or other attributes of modern life, which, however, does not prevent thousands of tourists from visiting Taos Pueblo annually.
Finally
In the photo: the city of Calw, Germany.
So we showed you 7 of the coolest looking traditional houses from around the world. If you have something to add to this list, feel free to write about it in the comments to this article.