Vernacular Housing of Urumqi
Urumqi, China
In Urumqi, old Muslim neighborhoods remain aligned with the major commercial spines of the city, which have undergone rapid modernization. The residential streets often too narrow for vehicular passage, have remained for the most part untouched by this transformation. The houses in these quarters have inner courtyards although they are not nearly as ornate as the two-story courtyards in Kashi, nor as spacious as the more rural dwellings of Turfan. In Urumqi, the house plan has been condensed so that the narrow courtyard is entered directly from the street and the rooms are entered from this patio-like court. The compact design of these houses is a product of the increasing densification of these neighborhoods over the city's two thousand year history.

Sources:

Lunde, Paul. 1985. "Muslims in China: The History". In Aramco World Magazine 36-4, 29. http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=4357 [Accessed October 23, 2004]

Petersen, Andrew. 1996. Dictionary of Islamic Architecture. London: Routledge., 52-54. http://archnet.org/library/dictionary/entry.jsp?entry_id=DIA0074 [Accessed October 23, 2004]

Rab, Samia. 1989. Continuity and Change in the Rural Habitat: the case of Urumchi, China. Unpublished Report, Aga Khan Visual Archives, 11-14.

Schinz, Alfred. 1989. Cities in China. Berlin: Gebruder Brontraeger, 449-451.

"Urumchi." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2004. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
23 Oct. 2004 .
Location
Urumqi, China
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