
Andaruni () in
Iranian architecture
Iranian architecture or Persian architecture (, ''Me'māri 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 with characteristic examples distr ...
, is the inner quarter where the women lived.
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. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl.
Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional u ...
of the house are free to move about without being seen by an outsider (''na
mahram
In Islam, a () is a family member with whom marriage would be considered permanently unlawful (''haram''). A woman does not need to wear hijab around her mahram or spouse, and an adult male mahram or husband may escort a woman on a journey, a ...
''). This is also the place where women can interact with their kin (''
maharim'') without following the dress code or without wearing the ''
hijab
Hijab (, ) refers to head coverings worn by Women in Islam, Muslim women. Similar to the mitpaḥat/tichel or Snood (headgear), snood worn by religious married Jewish women, certain Christian head covering, headcoverings worn by some Christian w ...
''.
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.
See also
*
Women-only space
*
Zenana
References
*''Farhang-i Vazhe- Haaye- Memari-i Sonnati-i Iran'' (Dictionary of terms in Traditional Iranian Architecture). Fallahfar, S. 2000. Tehran.
Further reading
* Djamalzadeh, M. A.
Andarun'.
Encyclopedia Iranica
An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are arranged alphabetically by artic ...
.
* Nabizadeh, Sima; Uraz, Türkan Ulusu.
The Modern Woman Vis-À-Vis The Modern House: The Hallmarks Of Modern Nationhood Through The 1920s-1940s Iran'. June 2017. METU Journal of the Faculty of Architecture 34(1). DOI:10.4305/METU.JFA.2017.1.8
Houses in Iran
Persian words and phrases
Iranian inventions
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