Appraisal of Vernacular Stone Housing Typology of Tigrai, Ethiopia

Samuel Bekele Jetie

doi:10.11648/j.ijaaa.20190501.11

Abstract

Tigrai vernacular housing mainly characterized by a stone architecture called hidmo, which is an astonishing feature of the country and the region. The hidmo house does not only mean a flat roofed vernacular house, but it is becoming an architectural style since thousands years ago at the beginning of Aksumite civilization. The objective of this paper is to appraise the vernacular housing typology and their spatial relationship in Tigrai, Ethiopia. Using field visit, observation, non-structured interview, cross-checking different data sources are used for qualitative data collection and the collected data are synthesized and categorized. According to the research study the Tigrai vernacular housing has mainly three housing typology namely, the Tigrai farmer house commonly called hidmo house, Tigrai chief house that is housed for the rich, clerks and leaders and the third is Agudo dwelling unit a house for common people. In the Tigrai farmer house we could have variations and labeling such as Merebae and Sekela house. All the housing typology have rectilinear shape, form and use the same building material that is a stone wall, mud and timber roof, but Agudo dwelling unit and Tigrai chief house have circular plan and conical thatched roof. The very nature of the Tigrai housing typology has the potential to respond the sustainability of the climate and the availability of abundant materials, mainly stone and the ‘Monkey head construction’ system.

Highlights

The term vernacular originates from the Latin word vernaculus which means local, natural or original developed from Verna, meaning "native slave" or "home-born slave"
Vernacular architecture is sometimes called architecture without Architects reveals the combination of local climate conditions, locally available materials, simple construction techniques, living style, traditions and socio-economic conditions of the region.[4], vernacular building is human constructs that are the results of the relationships among ecological, economic, material, and social factors
Tigrai vernacular houses were more than thousands years old with not much change and still in use in the entire villages of the region

Summary

Introduction

The term vernacular originates from the Latin word vernaculus which means local, natural or original developed from Verna, meaning "native slave" or "home-born slave". Vernacular architecture takes attention in terms of its continuity. It can be seen as the essence of sustainability with its inherent characteristics. Ethiopia has rich in ancient human history and the human settlement started from the oldest civilization in the Da’mat dynasty’s capital city of Yeha and this was considered as the first human settlement (urban area) in the Tigrai region and the country in general. Tigrai region is one of the nine national regional states in Ethiopia located in the top northern part, has a rich in history, archeology, and astonishing vernacular architecture especially the stone housing architecture. Tigrai region is one of the oldest civilizations with more than 3000 years has amazing history and architecture landscape. Tigria experiences a semi-arid to arid conditions in Tropical season where it is mostly hot and dry winter and rainy summer. [14]

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