Pamiri House (Chid)

The Pamiri house, called chid in the Pamiri languages, is the traditional dwelling of the Pamiri peoples of the Badakhshan region in the Pamir mountains of eastern Tajikistan, a high mountain area along the border with Afghanistan. Seen from outside it is a modest flat-roofed box of stone and mud. Inside, its roof structure is the heart of the house: five carved pillars carry the beams, and the only daylight enters through a stepped timber skylight, the chorkhona, at the centre of the ceiling.

Roof structure

The chid has a single large main room. Five wooden pillars stand in it, and two main beams cross over them; these are followed by groups of smaller intermediary beams, usually thirteen, with the number adjusted to the size of the house. Over these lies the flat roof, which is also a working surface where families dry hay, apricots and mulberries, and dung cakes for fuel.

Walls are usually of stone set in mud, finished with plaster. The pillars were traditionally of juniper, a tree held sacred in the region, but suitable junipers have become scarce and are no longer practical for new houses.

The chorkhona skylight

The chorkhona, meaning "four houses", is built up from four square timber frames, each set above the last, rising to an opening in the roof. It is the main source of light and air in the room, and the sun's first rays strike the top frame. In local interpretation the four squares stand for earth, water, air and fire, with fire at the top.

Symbolism

Almost every structural element carries meaning in the Ismaili tradition of the Pamiris. The five pillars are named after Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hussein, and each marks a place for particular household activities, from the cradle to wedding blessings and mourning. The two main beams are said to represent universal reason (akli kul) and the universal soul (nafsi kul), and different counts of the beams are linked to Ismaili history. Raised platforms around the walls, about 50 cm (20 in) and 70 cm (28 in) high, divide the room into levels for different uses.

Local terms

• chid: house
• chorkhona: "four houses", the stepped skylight
• chalak: earthen floor level
• loshnukh: first raised platform, about 50 cm (20 in) high
• barnekh: upper platform used for sleeping and eating, about 70 cm (28 in) high