Four Types of Houses Being Built in Southern Kyrgyzstan

The Influence of Other Peoples on the Craftsmanship of Kyrgyz

The builders of Kyrgyz houses in the 19th century were masters from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Uyghur, and Russian (since the end of the last century). In some areas, local Kyrgyz and those who came from Kashgar also built houses. Among our informants were Kyrgyz masters whose teachers were their fathers and even grandfathers. This fact may serve as indirect evidence that southern Kyrgyz began constructing settled dwellings a long time ago.

The masters of housing construction are divided into those who work with clay (called duvalyai) and carpenters ("zhygach usta"). Family members participate in the construction of the house to some extent, but the manager of the work and the main worker remains the invited master.

The main carpentry tool among the Kyrgyz was an axe with a long handle (70-75 cm). It was used for the initial processing of wood, and the masters smoothed the surface of the wood with it. The other tools were similar to those used by masters for making wooden parts of yurts, saddles, and generally wooden products. Under the influence of the Russians, Kyrgyz masters also mastered more advanced tools.

Since Kyrgyz masters learned construction techniques from masters of other nationalities, it is quite natural that along with the skills of a builder, they also absorbed the corresponding terms. Therefore, the influence of Uzbek, Tajik, Uyghur, and Russian folk architecture is reflected in Kyrgyz construction terminology.

Four types of houses are characteristic of southern Kyrgyzstan, with the main defining feature being the roof.

The first type includes houses known as Pamir-type. The characteristic features that allow this type of dwelling to be distinguished are the roof resting on columns placed inside the dwelling, a specially designed smoke outlet, and high adobe walls.

A variant of this type consists of houses built later with a similar roof but without a smoke outlet.

The second type of houses is called Fergana-type, but this name is conditional, as the boundaries of the distribution of this type extend far beyond Fergana, including Eastern Turkestan.

The main features of this type of house are a flat roof, an open terrace (ayvan), niches (gakcha) in the walls inside the house, and a double-leaf door. There are many variations of this type depending on the presence or absence of certain characteristic features.

The subtype of the Fergana house should include buildings with a flat-gable roof, although there is also a considerable number of variations here, expressed in the shape of the roof (varying degrees of slope), and in the presence or absence of niches and "ayvan." Single-leaf doors are more characteristic of these houses. According to V. L. Voronina, houses with flat-gable roofs are typical for the surroundings of Andijan.

They may also reflect European influence.

The third type is called mixed, as its formation includes architectural structures characteristic of both Russian and Uzbek (and Tajik) construction. These houses do not always have wall niches and "ayvans," but a high gable roof is mandatory.

The walls are more often made of bricks.

The fourth type of houses is two-story, which is why we highlight them separately. The roof is mostly flat. Sometimes the second floor is represented by just one room, called a balakana. They were usually built in mountainous areas. They are no longer popular, and their construction has completely ceased. Two-story houses are characteristic of Tajiks living in mountainous regions, as well as Uzbeks.

Three types of roofs used in southern Kyrgyzstan