Andaruni ( fa, اندرونی) in

Iranian architecture Iranian architecture or Persian architecture ( Persian: معمارى ایرانی, ''Memāri e Irāni'') is the architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Its history dates back to at least 5,000 BC ...

, is the inner quarter where the women lived. It has been described as ''

harem Harem ( Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A har ...

'' in Arabic.

Private space

In traditional Persian residential architecture the ''andaruni'' is a part of the house in which the private quarters are established. This is specifically where the

women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

of the house are free to move about without being seen by an outsider (''na

mahram In Islam, a ''mahram'' is a family member with whom marriage would be considered permanently unlawful (''haram''). One's spouse is also a mahram. A woman does not need to wear hijab around her mahram, and an adult male mahram may escort a woman ...

''). This is also the place where women can interact with their kin ('' maharim'') without following the dress code or without wearing the '' hijab''. In case the patriarch of the house had more than one wife, each wife is given her own section in the ''andaruni'' as is the case for her mother-in-law or sister-in-law if they live with the family. The only men allowed in this area are those directly related to the lord of the house (his sons) and the lord himself, which may include boys under the age of puberty, and guests allowed in under special circumstances. The court (usually in the talar) of the house would usually be situated in the ''andaruni''.

Dichotomy

''Andaruni'''s equivalent space for men is called ''biruni''. These two sections, which are both built around a garden, are part of the so-called interior-exterior dichotomy of Persian houses, which denotes the spatial divide between ''andaruni'' and ''biruni'' segment. The former is the private space while the latter represents the public quarter as it is also the place where business and ceremonies are conducted. Messengers, who are usually young boys, are employed in the interaction between the two quarters.

References

*''Farhang-i Vazhe- Haaye- Memari-i Sonnati-i Iran'' (Dictionary of terms in Traditional Iranian Architecture). Fallahfar, S. 2000. Tehran.

Private space

Dichotomy

See also

References

Further reading