Page 125 - Arabiab Studies (IV)

Architectural Terminology 115
16. Slate used in mud houses: ragafah coll, ragaf Ab, Nab, nafafah coll.
nafaf J.
17. Stone base of a mud house: rabaQ Ab, J.
18. Front door or gate: mi$r&* I, Ar, Al, T, Ith, Sah pi. ma$aiT I, T,
mu$ri‘ pi. ma$ari* N, bab bos Sh, il-bab it-tsirif Nab, jami‘ Ri, J, Qa, B pi.
jimina* J. The word jami‘ can be used in phrases: il-bab il-jami* J, jami‘
il-abwab Qa.
19. Door: bab. The word is used in many regions, and seems to refer to
any door except the front door, unless part of a phrase (see above, 18).
20. Small door in or next to the main gate: xdxah Ar, salfah T. In J
salfah pi. slif refers to a door but its location is uncertain.
21. Platform running the length of the front of a house and standing on
pillars the height of a storey: jahwah Ar, falal N, T pi. fillan, ’atlal N.
22. House entrance, hallway: sib Ar, Ith, Ab, Nab, Ri, siddeh Al,
siddah Sh, darb N, T, farrad Ith, ba$uf Sah, sabk Ruf, Na, fca$ir Aq, J pi.
bi$r£n J, xalwah Qa, sayyar B.
23. Hallway past the entrance or inside the house: xari T, xalwah Ab.
In T the xari is on the first floor with rooms on each side. In Ab the
xalwah, used as a dining area, can be located on the ground floor, between
the sib and the majlis.
24. Stairs: diraj I, diray Ruf, daraj Al, Sh, N, T, Sab, Ab, Nab, Sah, Ri,
B, daray Aq, sukk Sab, Nab, Sah, lawiyyeh Ruf, layyah Na, mahrak,
ma*$ar Aq, *i$fah pi. ‘i$af Na, rifa$ Qa. The terminology of the stairs needs
more careful research. It is possible that the words given do not always
refer to the stairs as such but various parts of the staircase. Thus in J
mi'sar is a landing and sukk the pillar around which the staircase winds.
25. Room for animals on the ground floor: sifl Ar, Al, Sah, Qa, B pi.
siful Al, ’asfal Qa, sifli Sab, Ri pi. ’usafil Sab, sagifah pi. sagayif T, riseh
Ruf, J pi. riyas J.
26. Enclosure for animals outside the house: fissah pi. 7sasN, riseh Aq,
bawiyyeh pi. £aw/yyat, £ a way a J, *aris Na, sagifah B.
27. Storage room for grain inside the house: filu, *illiyyah Ar, daxalah
pi. dawaxil Al, xaryah Sh, mi$a‘ pi. mawaQT N, T, Sab, B, muxwal Ab,
Ruf, J pi. maxawil Ruf, raff Ri, maxzan J, Qa, mixzSn pi. maxSzin J,
xazzanah Qa.
28. Storage house for grain away from the main structure: sirdab pi.
saradib Ri.
29. Underground store for grain outside the house: midfan pi. madafin
T, midfan pi. madafin J, muxtaba Ri. These stores were used in the old
days to hide the grain. In J the midfan may be carved out of solid rock.
30. Sitting room: majlis I, Ar, Al, Sh, Nab, Sah, Ri, J, Qa, Na, B pi.
majZlis J, Na, maylis T, Nab, Ruf, Aq pi. mayalis T, $uffah pi. $ufaf J.
31. Kitchen: ma'zab Qi, I pi. msa‘azib I, ma'zabah Ar, Gh pi. ma'azib
Ar, ma'zab pi. ma*azib Sh, masabb Qi, Gh, Al, B, mosa N, mawsa,
mwassa T, malhab T, Sab, milhib T, milhab Ab, Sah, Ri, ‘an“s Ab, masgaf
Ruf, J pi. masSgif J, misjaf Aq, marcab pi. maracib Qa, $adih Na. Some of
the terms may possibly refer to parts of the kitchen rather than the kitchen
as a whole.