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CONCLUSION

The traditional houses of the mountainous area around the city of Salalah
in Dhofar, Sultanate of Oman, are specific and valuable examples of traditional
architectural models. In general, the basic concept of the house, both spatial
and constructive, is consistent with those found along the northern coast of the
Mediterranean and the mainland of Asia Minor and the Balkans. This basic concept
has been slightly modified to adapt to available materials and building habits. Thus,
on the Mediterranean coast, we find houses of similar constructive concepts
called “tesa”, and in the mainland of the Balkans, “kulache” and “dubirozi”.
The basic concept of the house is based on a circular or oval base. A stone
wall up to 150 cm high is built along the edge of the determined base. The wall
has two openings up to 100 cm wide on opposite sides, where the door is located.
The roof is supported by two columns with forks at the top into which a horizontal
beam is placed. The roof rafters, consisting of wooden branches with a larger
cross-section, are supported on one side by the wall and on the other by the
beam. Smaller branches are placed over these branches, followed by a covering
of grass tied into bundles. The door is low, requiring a person to bend
significantly when entering and leaving the house.
In front of the main door, which usually faces east, the house has an oval
courtyard enclosed by a stone wall with the same characteristics as the wall of
the house. The courtyard is entered through a gate. On the opposite side, a
small plateau is built, though no construction of a fence wall has been observed.
The traditional house of the mountainous part around the city of Salalah
in Dhofar is an important document of the architectural past of the Arabian
Peninsula and the Mediterranean. It is necessary to architecturally record as
many preserved examples as possible to collect detailed information on the
construction methods, tools used, and measurements. High-quality buildings
should be moved to one zone to create a museum of traditional Dhofar
architecture. In this way, one could gain insight into the architectural models
in one place while increasing supervision over the preserved examples. The
architecture of the mountainous part of Dhofar is a significant part of the
cultural heritage of the Arabian Peninsula and world architecture.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The author would like to thank Ahmet Al Kathiri, Hatem Bin Salim Tahmoom
and Muhammad Musallam Al Amri from Salalah for their assistance in the field
research and understanding of the culture of the Gebali people in Dhofar.

ORIGIN OF FIGURES

Figure 1–39, 56–59 / Duško Kuzović;
Figure 40–55, 60–64 / Muhammad Musallam Al Amri & Duško Kuzović;
Figure 65–67 / Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade / Етнографски музеј у Београду;
Figure 68–69. Аleksandar Freudenreich (1962). Narod gradi na ogoljenom krasu. Zagreb–Beograd.