Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World, P. Oliver (ed.)
Cambridge University Press, 1997
Volume 2: Cultures and Habitats
Entry by: Samia Rab, Ph.D.

2.1.6.1-i HAZARA: Migrant (Pakistan, SW)

The Hazaras are an ethnic community who migrated to Quetta, in Baluchistan, from Hazarajat, in central Afghanistan. This migration probably took place during the Second Afghan War (1875-8). When Hazaras first arrived in Quetta, they settled within the physical limits of the city. However, several factors have made it very difficult for them to remain assimilated; they can be physically distinguished from the local subgroups of Quetta because of their Mongoloid features; they speak Hazargi (a dialect of Persian), as opposed to Pashtu or Baluchi which are spoken by the two local ethnic communities of Baluchistan, the Pathans and the Baluchs; and they adhere to the Shiah sect in Islam unlike the local ethnic communities, the majority of whom are Sunni Muslims. Since the 1960s, the Hazaras have spatially segregated themselves from other local communities by developing the settlement of Mariabad.

Mariabad is located on the slopes of Koh-e-Murdar, the mountain range that forms the eastern edge of the city. The main approach road, which links the settlement to the city center, flanks the northern length of the settlement. The major streets of the settlement run roughly in a north-south direction, corresponding to the direction of the natural storm water valleys, called the nalas. Secondary streets connecting major streets run perpendicular to the nalas and, at instances, bridge across their slopes. This kind of street network generates more or less uniform blocks in between, making land subdivision close to a grid-iron pattern. Based on this configuration, the houses are mostly constructed on regular plots and are well adjusted to the steep gradient of the site.

Most of the houses are constructed with stone walls which are sometimes mud-plastered, although they are frequently left un-plastered. Wood, rubble and mud are used as roofing materials. These houses are usually single story with a basement and two or three rooms. In some houses the rooms are arranged opposite each other and in others they are organized in an L-shaped configuration. Even though individual families are growing with the passage of time, there are no significant transformation taking place in the houses. When a son in a family is married, a single-room house is constructed on another site, either next door to the parents or in the close vicinity. In such cases, the grandchildren tend to spend most of their time running in between the houses of their grandparents and their parents.

The inhabitants of Mariabad feel responsible for the maintenance and cleanliness of the streets, primarily because their lives are not contained inside their dwelling units. The streets in Mariabad enclose everyday activities of the inhabitants and women are the most active participants. They are either running after their children, walking to the neighboring houses for a visit or to the religious institutions of the Shiah Muslims, the Imam Baras, or visiting the neighborhood shops selling vegetables, freshly baked bread (nan), and other groceries.

For men, in general, the streets are paths that they have to traverse everyday to reach their workplaces. During the day, a curtain hangs between the entrance doorway of the house and the street. The stone platform crossing over the open drain is flushed with the street level. There is no difference in level between the threshold of the house and the street. This arrangement makes it possible for the space inside the house to flow easily and directly into the street. The rooms in these houses are not linked internally and can only be accessed from the courtyard. The open courtyard inside the house is used for domestic activities as well as entertaining guests. This spatial organization suggests does not disrupt the domestic activities taking place in the open courtyard as the residents of Mariabad tend to interact socially within their own close-knit community.

The use of neighborhood streets for everyday activities by children as well as women cannot be observed in any other residential settlement in Quetta. It is a situation unique to the community which has managed to transcribe its social boundaries onto the spatial organization of Mariabad. The Hazaras are a minority in Baluchistan, but they have created a settlement in which they exist as a self-sustained majority.