Economic Buildings in Southern Kyrgyzstan
Outbuildings
Outbuildings in southern Kyrgyzstan are quite uniform, but there are many variations in their placement relative to the house. Their construction in the past was determined by the nature and size of the household. In the overwhelming majority of old estates, stables (atkana, agyl) were mandatory. For these purposes, flat-roofed sheds (bastyrma) were also used. The sheds were supported on beams, one end resting on the fence (duval) and the other on posts buried in the ground 2-3 meters from the duval. Along the walls of the stables and sheds, as well as in the corners, troughs (akyr) made of clay, and less often wood, were attached. They were also arranged in the yard, at the entrance, and near the house. All this indicates the great importance of the horse in the past life of southern Kyrgyz people. Sheds were also used for cows and sheep, but usually, separate facilities were built for them.
Such outbuildings as sukyon, kamp — storage facilities for grain, flour, and other products — were often located in close proximity to the living quarters. Sometimes free living rooms were used for these purposes, or clay partitions were made in the corners of the living space. Near the house, special pits (oroo) were often dug to store grain. Now, in many places, pits are used to store potatoes for the winter.
Fuel, hay, and straw were stored in barns called otunkana, chapkana, samankana. In many villages in the western part of the region, it is customary to stack hay on the roofs of houses for the winter. Fuel is also often left open in the yard, especially cow dung, which is one of the most common types of fuel.
In the summer, hearths are arranged in the yard near the house for cooking food. They are made of stones or shaped from clay in a semi-oval form, adapted for cooking food in a cauldron. For baking flatbread (tokoch), special ovens called tandyr are becoming widespread. In the south, they have their own characteristics, so we will describe them in more detail. They have long been used by neighboring sedentary peoples of Central Asia. The term "tandyr" has also entered Kyrgyz life. In some villages, mainly in the Osh and Nookat districts, the "tandyr" has been used for a long time. However, in a number of Kyrgyz villages, it is still not made, and women bake flatbreads in the old way: either in a cauldron over the hearth or by an even more ancient method — on a frying pan placed in hot ash.
Furnishings of the homes of southern Kyrgyz people
