Proceedings of the 2 nd ICAUD International Conference in Architecture and Urban Design Epoka University, Tirana, Albania, 08-10 May 2014 Paper No. 213 213-1 WATER CISTERNS IN HISTORICAL HOUSES - GJIROKASTËR Elena Mamani 1 , Kreshnik Merxhani 2 1 Architect, Cultural Heritage without Borders (CHwB), Gjirokastra, Albania 2 Architect, Cultural Heritage without Borders (CHwB), Gjirokastra, Albania ABSTRACT Gjirokastra features 1200 stone buildings, making it one of the most important cultural heritage sites in Albania. In 1961 Gjirokastra was declared a Museum City, and in 2005 it became part of the World Heritage List (UNESCO). Born in a period of turmoil, the ‘City of Stone’ was first mentioned in a chronicle on the uprising against the Byzantine Empire in 1336. In these difficult periods people were forced to balance defensive concerns with other life needs, such as water, food, etc. The defensive needs prevailed, and the people chose to establish the town in the most protected, but also the driest, part of the Drinos Valley. Given these conditions, the provision of water was a problem that required an urgent solution. For this, people devised an ingenious method of collecting rainwater in private cisterns, a technique we still find in all kinds of homes built in Gjirokastra from the end of the 18 th century until World War II. Water collection was such an integral part of life for the people of Gjirokastra that it shaped even the design of their homes, as well as their daily routine, such as cleaning/treating the cisterns and distributing the rainwater. Water cisterns contribute to our understanding of sustainable architecture and the way people throughout history have creatively used natural resources. We are dealing with organic architecture strongly related to local characteristics, materials, topography, geography and particular needs of that place, as well as the technical skills of that time. Today the efficient use of natural resources is of main interest, and the maintenance and restoration of these monuments is urgently needed. Such studies, therefore, help us understand the nature and technique of these buildings increase the effectiveness of restoration interventions and teach us more about our heritage. KEYWORDS: Cultural heritage, Architecture, Sustainability, water, Restoration, Building materials, Traditions. 1 INTRODUCTION The way of collecting water through roofs into water cisterns was firstly mentioned in the 17 th century, when the Ottoman chronicler Evliya Çelebi, described how the castle residents used to collect water. After the city was declared a “Museum City” in 1961, systematic and scientific studies started. The first article about Gjirokastra’s water supply was conducted by Th. Kamberi (1975). Later on E. Riza (1981) published a monograph entitled “The Museum City of Gjirokastra”, which contains a general explanation about the city and an analysis of Ottoman residential buildings. Water cisterns are an integral part of this explanation, but a clear typology on their construction and maintenance is missing. Shtylla (1980) published a study on the town’s water supply, dealing especially with the castle’s aqueduct. CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Epoka University