Amin House Restoration

Kabul, Afghanistan

The house of Mohammed Amin was identified during surveys by the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme (AKHCP) in 2002 and 2003 of the surviving historic fabric of the Asheqan wa Arefan neighbourhood in the old city of Kabul. Probably dating from the 1930s, the Amin house follows the characteristic form of family homes in the old city, and is arranged on three sides of an open courtyard, with a half-basement and two inhabited floors. The primary structure is of timber frame (sinj) with an infill of mud bricks, supporting flat timber rafters for floors and roofs. While external elevations are blind, three of the internal elevations are made up of hardwood screens (patai), made up of a series of vertical sliding windows, that allow for summer ventilation. The present owners of the Amin house are descendants of the carpenter who built it. Conservation of the house was carried out during 2004/5 as part of a wider programme of works undertaken by AKHCP in the old city.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture