Architectural Characteristics of the Bosnian Chardaklia House: Two Examples from Cazin

Abstract

Traditional Bosnian houses have a long history dating back to the 15th century when Bosnia was captured by the Ottomans that had brought a new lifestyle and forms of urban development. This lifestyle and urban development were based on principles already established at the center of the Ottoman Empire in Anatolia. The new way of organizing settlements saw the establishment of residential areas, called mahala, in which houses were the main units and whose origin can be traced back to Central Anatolia. The tradition of building in Bosnia emerged in response to the local culture and conditions and continued to evolve into several variations, as is particularly evident in the case of the rural house type. This paper reviews the traditional Bosnian house and evaluates two preserved 19th century examples located in Cazin. Their architectural peculiarities suggest that the Alagić and Pozderac family houses are of the Bosnian chardaklia house type. This style of house follows a vertical plan starting from the basement, which served as a stable or storage, and building up towards the steep high roof characteristic of this type of house. Both houses are of a “central solution” type incorporating the architectural features characteristic of Bosanska Krajina (the region of Bosnian Krajina), such as projections on four sides making them reminiscent of fortified tower-houses (“kule”).

Keywords

• Traditional Bosnian house
• chardaklia house
• Alagić family house
• Pozderac family house
• residential architecture

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