Wall Niches
Wall niches are one of the characteristic features of the dwellings in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and the houses of Eastern Turkestan. They are also popular in Southern Kyrgyzstan, but are most typical, as noted above, for flat-roofed Ferghana-type houses. Niches add a special style to the room's interior and, in the absence of furniture, serve as a convenient introduction. They replace cabinets, help keep household items organized, and give the dwelling a unique charm. Therefore, they are sought to be incorporated into all modern houses. It is believed that in future construction practices, niches will take the form of glazed wall cabinets, which will meet hygiene requirements.
The shape, location, and purpose of niches in southern Kyrgyz housing have taken on a certain order. There are three common types of niches: large high ones—from the floor (sometimes at a height of 20-30 cm) to the ceiling, 110-150 cm wide; narrow ones (60-70 cm wide) at a height of 80-100 cm from the floor; and niches that are built at approximately the same height but are wide. The latter niches are constructed in all rooms and walls, except for the wall separating adjacent rooms and the front wall of the living room ("meymankana"), where two high niches and one narrow one are arranged between them.
The niches in this wall have a special name, as among the Tajiks and Uzbeks—mihrab or tagman.
Here is placed the "juk," which is an essential element of the decoration of the nomadic dwelling—the yurt. It is less common to place it against the side walls. The methods of arranging the "juk" that we noted in yurts are preserved in houses. The difference in the methods of laying out in the eastern and western parts of the region is especially noticeable when the "juk" is placed against a wall that does not have a niche.
In houses, the "juk" is complemented by chests covered with brightly painted tin, cabinets-stands called "javan," which have sliding doors, and are decorated with carvings, sometimes with paintings; the "juk" is also supplemented with modern suitcases that replace primitive "bokcho" and testify to the inhabitants' connections with the city. The "juk" is as colorful as in the yurt, and it is tidily arranged during the day and disassembled at night for bedding, still serving as an indicator of the housewife's hospitality, skill, and ability to keep the house tidy.
In the side walls of the living room, niches are made high off the floor. Some of them are given the appearance of shelves, on which tea and dining dishes are hung and arranged in a distinctive manner: teapots of various sizes, large and small bowls, painted trays, metal, clay, and porcelain dishes, plates. Here, mirrors, alarm clocks, sewing machines, and school textbooks also become commonplace on the shelves.
This storage of various items is always kept in order.
In niches without shelves, bedding items and portable belongings are usually stored. In such cases, the walls are often covered with decorative panels. "Tush kiyiz," Uzbek suzani machine embroidery, palaces ("shalcha") sewn from strips of patterned fabric, as well as pile carpets are hung.
In houses where there are no niches, the hanging of various decorations is especially common. Sometimes they completely cover the walls, and the style of the room's decor changes dramatically, resembling the dwellings of northern Kyrgyz people.
Windows and doors in the dwellings of Southern Kyrgyzstan
