Darbazi
Encyclopedia
Darbazi is the simplest form of Georgian
folk architecture with a long history behind. It is a rustic house, the central feature of which is a pyramidal cupola-shaped, stepped vault (gvirgvini) – made of hewn logs and beams – on pillars, with a central opening at the top which serves as both a window and smoke flue. The Roman
authority Vitruvius
(1st century BC) includes in his De architectura
a description of a Colchian
dwelling, the ancient prototype of a Georgian darbazi.
The darbazi house, with local variations, survived into the 20th century. This occurs extensively in the provinces of Kartli
, Kakheti
and Samtskhe-Javakheti. These houses are often supported at its underground base by finely carved beams and pillars. Of particular care is the solid wooden upright known as the deda-bodzi ("mother-pillar"), which takes the weight of the corbelled roofing. The darbazi design might have also influenced the early Christian
architecture of Georgia, for the ancient rotund
and octagonal Christian structures - widespread in Italy
, Syria
and elsewhere - never attained to popularity in Georgia.
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
folk architecture with a long history behind. It is a rustic house, the central feature of which is a pyramidal cupola-shaped, stepped vault (gvirgvini) – made of hewn logs and beams – on pillars, with a central opening at the top which serves as both a window and smoke flue. The Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
authority Vitruvius
Vitruvius
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio was a Roman writer, architect and engineer, active in the 1st century BC. He is best known as the author of the multi-volume work De Architectura ....
(1st century BC) includes in his De architectura
De architectura
' is a treatise on architecture written by the Roman architect Vitruvius and dedicated to his patron, the emperor Caesar Augustus, as a guide for building projects...
a description of a Colchian
Colchis
In ancient geography, Colchis or Kolkhis was an ancient Georgian state kingdom and region in Western Georgia, which played an important role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgian nation.The Kingdom of Colchis contributed significantly to the development of medieval Georgian...
dwelling, the ancient prototype of a Georgian darbazi.
The darbazi house, with local variations, survived into the 20th century. This occurs extensively in the provinces of Kartli
Kartli
Kartli is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari , on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role in ethnic and political consolidation of the Georgians in the Middle Ages...
, Kakheti
Kakheti
Kakheti is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and...
and Samtskhe-Javakheti. These houses are often supported at its underground base by finely carved beams and pillars. Of particular care is the solid wooden upright known as the deda-bodzi ("mother-pillar"), which takes the weight of the corbelled roofing. The darbazi design might have also influenced the early Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
architecture of Georgia, for the ancient rotund
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
and octagonal Christian structures - widespread in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and elsewhere - never attained to popularity in Georgia.
Illustrations
- Darbazi in eastern Georgia (cross-section). The Great Soviet Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2011-05-30.
- Gvirgvini. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2011-05-30.
- Deda-Bodzi. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2011-05-30.