A STUDY OF TRADITIONAL HOUSES IN WEST ASHEQAN WA AREFAN, KABUL CITY, AFGHANISTAN

Abstract

 Traditional houses in Kabul city were built using local materials such as sun-dried bricks, timber, and mud. However, with the progression of modernization, local materials have been replaced by industrial materials even in the Asheqan wa Arefan area, one of the oldest parts of Kabul. This study therefore firstly classifies all houses in the study area into traditional, mixed and modern, and examines how they are distributed in the area. Secondly, plan types of traditional houses are analyzed, and five types of courtyard houses and one type of house without courtyard are identified. A case study of three traditional courtyard houses has been conducted for a comprehensive investigation.