﻿ARAB 
  VILLAGE 
  COMMUNITY 
  — 
  TANNOUS 
  529 
  

  

  existing 
  stores 
  are 
  located 
  around 
  this 
  central 
  space. 
  In 
  large 
  vil- 
  

   lages, 
  or 
  those 
  that 
  have 
  two 
  religious 
  sects, 
  two 
  centers 
  exist. 
  Such 
  

   settlements 
  may 
  be 
  designated 
  as 
  bicentral. 
  

  

  With 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  dwelling 
  places, 
  the 
  following 
  main 
  

   forms 
  may 
  be 
  distinguished. 
  Tents, 
  made 
  mainly 
  of 
  goat 
  hair, 
  are 
  

   used 
  exclusively 
  by 
  the 
  nomads. 
  Shacks 
  made 
  of 
  reed 
  cane 
  can 
  be 
  

   observed 
  in 
  marshy 
  localities, 
  such 
  as 
  exist 
  in 
  northern 
  Palestine, 
  

   northern 
  Syria, 
  and 
  southern 
  Iraq. 
  This 
  type 
  of 
  dwelling 
  is 
  used 
  

   mainly 
  by 
  seminomadic 
  tribes 
  who 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  settlement. 
  

   In 
  the 
  hilly 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  in 
  general, 
  and 
  in 
  Lebanon 
  in 
  par- 
  

   ticular, 
  stone 
  (mostly 
  limestone) 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  building 
  mate- 
  

   rial. 
  It 
  is 
  cut 
  by 
  expert 
  masons, 
  of 
  whom 
  practically 
  every 
  village 
  

   boasts 
  a 
  good 
  number. 
  In 
  most 
  cases 
  stone 
  is 
  used 
  exclusively 
  in 
  

   constructing 
  the 
  foundation, 
  the 
  walls, 
  the 
  ceiling, 
  and 
  the 
  roof. 
  A 
  

   solid 
  dome-shaped 
  structure 
  is 
  the 
  result, 
  which 
  may 
  have 
  a 
  flat 
  or 
  a 
  

   convex 
  roof. 
  Sometimes 
  wooden 
  beams 
  are 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  ceiling 
  and 
  

   bricks 
  for 
  the 
  roof. 
  On 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  the 
  interior, 
  adobe 
  houses 
  are 
  

   the 
  most 
  prevalent. 
  A 
  special 
  variety 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  the 
  so-called 
  bee- 
  

   hive 
  houses 
  of 
  some 
  villages 
  in 
  northern 
  Syria. 
  The 
  distinctive 
  fea- 
  

   ture 
  here 
  is 
  the 
  conical 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  dome, 
  which 
  helps 
  to 
  mitigate 
  

   the 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  blazing 
  sun. 
  A 
  typical 
  house 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  region 
  

   consists 
  of 
  a 
  courtyard, 
  which 
  may 
  or 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  wall, 
  

   and 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  square 
  rooms, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  farm 
  

   animals 
  during 
  the 
  short 
  cold 
  season. 
  In 
  many 
  cases, 
  when 
  the 
  family 
  

   dwelling 
  consists 
  of 
  one 
  room, 
  it 
  is 
  shared 
  by 
  both 
  animals 
  and 
  human 
  

   beings. 
  In 
  some 
  cases 
  people 
  occupy 
  the 
  top 
  floor 
  and 
  animals 
  the 
  

   first 
  floor. 
  It 
  seems 
  that 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  a 
  separate 
  barn 
  has 
  never 
  taken 
  

   root 
  in 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  world. 
  Finally, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  mentioned 
  that 
  in 
  

   recent 
  years, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  villages 
  of 
  the 
  coastal 
  area, 
  some 
  depar- 
  

   ture 
  from 
  the 
  typical 
  structure 
  has 
  been 
  taking 
  place. 
  New 
  detached 
  

   houses 
  are 
  being 
  built 
  outside 
  the 
  original 
  conglomeration 
  and 
  away 
  

   from 
  the 
  ancestral 
  home, 
  and 
  modern 
  construction 
  materials 
  are 
  

   being 
  used. 
  

  

  Agricultural 
  land 
  owned 
  or 
  cultivated 
  by 
  the 
  farmers 
  begins 
  just 
  

   outside 
  the 
  village 
  proper 
  and 
  extends 
  in 
  all 
  directions 
  from 
  it. 
  In 
  

   some 
  cases 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  established 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  into 
  zones. 
  The 
  

   first 
  of 
  these, 
  adjoining 
  the 
  dwelling 
  places, 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  gardens 
  and 
  an 
  

   assortment 
  of 
  fruit 
  trees. 
  Farther 
  out 
  orchards 
  prevail. 
  In 
  between, 
  

   or 
  beyond 
  the 
  orchards, 
  are 
  the 
  open 
  fields 
  for 
  the 
  growing 
  of 
  cereals. 
  

   On 
  the 
  outskirts, 
  or 
  wherever 
  the 
  land 
  is 
  brushy 
  and 
  least 
  fertile, 
  a 
  

   portion 
  is 
  set 
  aside 
  for 
  grazing. 
  In 
  many 
  localities, 
  however, 
  no 
  such 
  

   zoning 
  pattern 
  exists. 
  There 
  are 
  villages 
  that 
  use 
  the 
  land 
  exclu- 
  

   sively 
  for 
  raising 
  cereals 
  and 
  grazing. 
  Others 
  specialize 
  in 
  raising 
  

   fruits, 
  and 
  leave 
  practically 
  no 
  space 
  for 
  vegetable 
  gardens 
  or 
  for 
  

  

  