Andis - Settlements



The Andi settlements are arranged like an amphitheater along the western and northern slopes of the Andi ravine (the villages of Andi, Gukhna, Gagatl, Rikvani, Ashali, Zilo, Chanko, Rishukha) and in the valleys of the larger rivers (the villages of Muni and Kvankhidatl). The older type of Andi settlement was a tightly packed cluster of buildings. Each village had a territory reserved for its exclusive use, the boundaries of which were clearly marked and respected. The territory comprised three segments: hon (settlement), mighi (arable land, including some of the hay fields), and bil-alakhi, which included the rest of the hay fields, alpine pastures, forests, badlands, and other uncultivatable land. Over the past thirty years this traditional division has undergone change. Should the settlement become densely populated, then a portion of the mighi and a portion of the fields are converted to private garden plots.

The most extreme example of the Andi architectural style is the village of Muni, which is essentially a single complex building. The streets are paved with stones and covered overhead by the upper stories of houses, giving the impression of tunnels. Muni resembles a phalanstery, formed from rows of two-story houses with adjoining walls. The lower story is used for stabling livestock and the upper story as living quarters. The flat roof of each house serves as a terrace for the house farther uphill. The typical Upper Andi settlement has a less-constrained layout: the streets are open, courtyards are present, the roofs are not shared, etc. The traditional administrative center of Andi territory is the village of Andi, laid out like a medieval mountain town: it is divided into quarters ( rekhkhun ) with a central square ( kaw ) and a mosque for Friday services. Each quarter also has its own kaw. Quarters and squares are likewise found in all other Andi villages. The Upper Andi settlements were twice destroyed and burned down: after the invasion of Tamerlane, and during Vorontsov's campaign of 1845. The contemporary homestead and settlement reflect the influence of more dispersed western Caucasian and eastern European layouts. Flat roofs have been supplanted by sloped roofs of slate or zinc-plated iron. The homes of well-to-do Andis traditionally were built with a separate room for guests, a feature preserved to this day. The interior of a traditional home includes a central column and a large fireplace ( tavkhan ), decorated with clay-relief ornamentation. Shelves and niches on the walls serve for the storage of domestic utensils. (The interior of a contemporary home is somewhat different.)


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