Andaruni () in Iranian architecture, is the inner quarter where the women lived.
Private space
In traditional Persian residential architecture the
andaruni is a part of the house in which the private quarters are established. This is specifically where the
Iranian women of the house are free to move about without being seen by an outsider (
na mahram). This is also the place where women can interact with their kin (
Mahram) without following the dress code or without wearing the
hijab.
In case the patriarch of the house had more than one wife, each wife is given her own section in the andaruni as is the case for her mother-in-law or sister-in-law if they live with the family.
The court (usually in the talar) of the house would usually be situated in the andaruni.
Dichotomy
Andaruni's equivalent space for men is called
biruni.
These two sections, which are both built around a garden,
are part of the so-called interior-exterior dichotomy of Persian houses, which denotes the spatial divide between
andaruni and
biruni segment.
The former is the private space while the latter represents the public quarter as it is also the place where business and ceremonies are conducted.
Messengers, who are usually young boys, are employed in the interaction between the two quarters.
See also
-
Farhang-i Vazhe- Haaye- Memari-i Sonnati-i Iran (Dictionary of terms in Traditional Iranian Architecture). Fallahfar, S. 2000. Tehran.
Further reading
