Konserwacja tradycyjnych domów w Bagdadzie

• Authors: Warren John

Title variants

EN

CONSERVING THE TRADITIONAL HOUSES OF BAGHDAD

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

EN

In 1980 the Mayor of Baghdad initiated a new phase in the conservation of Baghdad's historic houses. Until then very little conservation had been done and the buildings were in the state of decay. Early in 1981 survey work began that was to cover some 99 houses in 18 months. A complete inventory of all buildings was prepared, defining their circumstances, decay, structural failures and suitability for restoration. Necessary documentation was drawn and soon restoration work was undertaken. Originally, by the nature of their construction and local circumstances, houses in Baghdad had been regarded as a temporary thing and as a rule they lasted 50 to 100 years. Over the centuries they changed their character and got adapted to the climate and life conditions. The article describes in detail the principles and rules of building houses. Each traditional house in Baghdad was built round a rectangular courtyard and it consisted of a number of rooms, each of which had its name and function and according to the time of the year the Iraqi family could move round its house choosing the best place to stay (e.g. to get protection from the heat of the sun). The houses were first built with mud brick and burned brick, cemented and plastered with juss; a soft gypsum plaster. For carpentry, the ubiquitous palm was used. Later on, steel came into use. One of the greatest achievements of house-building in Baghdad was fine, elegant and very decorative timber work. The restoration of old buildings was aimed at keeping the original material so far as possible or replacing it with similar one. Modern methods of protecting the structure and servicing it were employed, with the respect paid to the fa ithfulness to the old. Such a process of restoration was long, careful, laborious and demanded high levels of skill and sensibility. The final goal of preserving the original character of the structures was achieved thanks to the loving care shown by skillful workers. The restored houses have been equipped with modern fa c ilities such as electricity, air conditioning, plumbing and sanitation and gas. Roofs have been provided with insulation to keep out the heat of summer and to preserve winter warms. To sum up, the buildings have generally been restored to serve their original purposes and each of them is an integral part of the urban complex.

• Publisher: Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa
• Journal: Ochrona Zabytków
• Year: 1985
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 45-49

Dates

published

1985

Contributors

author

Warren John

• arch., The Achitectural and Planning Partnership Horsham

Notes

PL

tłum. Lech Krzyżanowski

Identifiers

ISSN

0029-8247