Talysh - Settlements

Talysh settlements situated in the mountain zone are of the compact type of building characteristic of the eastern Caucasus. The settlements in the mountains are not large or congested. The settlements in the plains section have a free layout. The lowlands and the riverbanks are the most densely settled. In the mountains the typical Talysh house is built of uncut stone, with a flat roof; in the forest zone houses are built of wood. In the unforested coastal zone the usual house is made of clay or of rushes with a clay plastering and a roof of reeds or sedge with two or four slopes. The floor is of earth or wood. In the old style of mountain houses, hearths are built of stones in or next to a wall, with no exit aperture for smoke, which escapes through the open door. For this reason doors in Talysh houses are high, reaching to the ceiling. The Alar and Orand seminomads spend the summer in huts, the winter in warmer half-dugout primitive dwellings. In the lowlands the Talysh construct summer dwellings called lam , 3-4 meters in height, consisting of a platform on wooden posts, surrounded by a wooden railing. No furniture is used in traditional Talysh homes. The floor is covered with mats. Modern homes on the plains are of two-floor construction, furnished partly in the urban manner. Talysh dwellings in the lowlands and the foothills usually are surrounded by lawns, flowers, and an extensive, well-maintained farmstead.