Housing in Tibet

Housing in Tibet

 

Houses have a long history in Tibet, with ruins of Tibetan houses discovered at 4000-year-old Karub New Stone Age archaeological sites. Today, Tibet possesses various styles of dwellings, including blockhouses in southern Tibet, tents in the pastoral areas of northern Tibet, wooden houses in the wooded areas of the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley, and cave dwellings on Nagri Plateau.
 

Blockhouses are the most common kind of civilian housing in Tibet. Built mostly of stone and wood ,they feature traditional architectural styles. Those built against a hill still have vertical inner walls. Blockhouses are generally of two storys: The first floor is comparatively low, used to serve as a shelter for domestic animals and a warehouse; the second floor is composed of spacious living rooms, a sitting room, a kitchen and a storehouse. There are also some with a third floor, which is used as the family sutra hall and the balcony. Blockhouses are solid and wind-proof and can be used to resist gangsters.
 

Tents adopted by herdsmen are generally low and small in size, and square or rectangular in shape. Wooden bars are used to form the two-meter-high framework, which is covered with black yak felt. In the middle of the roof is the 15 cm wide and 1.5 meter long skylight. The whole structure is fastened to the ground with yak hair ropes. Inside the tent is a 50-cm wall made of adobe bricks or rocks, upon which is stored highland barley, bags of butter and the dried oxen dung used for fuel. All tent housing is furnished with a stove in the center, behind which stands the statue of Buddha. The floor is covered with sheep hide to allow the whole family to sit around the stove. Such housing demonstrates great flexibility and mobility, as the tents can be built and dismantled quickly. Housing in Tibet