Artifacts and Architecture
By Vivian and Tim
KABUL
Formal Housing Development:
Between 1940s to 1970s a number of residential neighborhoods were planned by the town outside of the Old City of Kabul. These neighborhood/ towns included Wazi Akbar Khan, Qala-e-Fatehullah, Taimani, and Khairkhana on the North; Karta-e-Char, Karta-e-Ce, Kota-e-Sangi, Celo, and Jamal Mena on the South and East, and Noor Mohammad Shah Mena. The design of these houses was based on simple grid iron layouts and rectangular lot divisions of various sizes ranging from 200-400 square meters. Typically two story house plans, European style, was enforced to be built in these lots.
The reason for European design was due to the fact that when the crusades happened and the European Roman Catholics had wiggled the influence of Europe arceteciure. It is not seen fully but there are little details here and there.
Traditionally, people build walls, 2-meter high on property lines to enclose their lots, which would show ownership and where you would cross the line. Authorities enforced a minimum of 1-meter side set back requirement for the location of the house from the property line. Many have violated this requirement and built their houses attached to their property lines and some back to back with their neighbors.
This is a picture of An alley way in Kabul, Afghanistan, showing the mud used in the original architecture built in the early 1970′s.
Peshawar:
This is an old Clock Tower of Peshawar city known as "Ghanta Ghar" (Clock Home) in Urdu that still stands today. It would serve as a way to tell time as well as an architectural achievement in the 1900s. Amir would have seen this driving through Peshawar with Farid.
Where Architecture is mentioned in kite runner:
On page 195 at the start of chapter fifteen right after Amir Lands from his flight back to Peshawar he describes what he sees when he is on Jamrud Rd. in Peshawar. “We were heading on Jamrud Road, past the Contonment and its lavish, high-walled homes.” This quote shows how the homes in 1981 in Peshawar would have high walls on the perimeter of a property.
On page 260in the beginning of the 2nd paragraph Amir is with Farid and describes the road he drives down to go see the Amir’s old house. “He drove us into a wide street with fairly clean sidewalks and walled homes on either side. This is another time where Amir is with Farid driving. Amir describes what he sees on one of the side roads where people lived and walked.
On page 262 Amir Describes hi child hood home and what it looks like today. ”The house a sprawling whit mansion I remembered from my child hood. It looked smaller. The roof sagged and the plaster was cracked. The windows to the living room, the foyer, and the upstairs bathroom were broken, patched haphazardly with sheets of clear plastic or wooden boards nailed across the frames. . . . . . . . . My breath fogging up the glass.” Amir goes back in time to remember what the house had looked like.
What Amir’s house would have looked like while growing up.