Potential Revitalization of Tigray Vernacular Stone Masonry

The region of Tigray is found in the northern part of Ethiopia, and has its own historical background of using the local materials to build shelter and to reflect their culture. making certain interventions and technological improvements can be crucial for the continuity and preservation of this vernacular construction system.

Ethiopia is responsible for one of world’s ancient civilizations namely the Aksumite civilization that was established around 100AD (verlag, 1999). This civilization was known for its exceptional architecture, and cultural heritage in general. The vernacular architecture of this specific area in which the Tigray stone masonry buildings originated from is characterized for its utilization of the local materials responding well to the climate condition of the region. This architecture is mainly concentrated in the northern part of the country which is Tigray. Vernacular Stone masonry buildings can be found both in urban and rural areas of Tigray. This type of construction is still visible in areas that contain neighborhoods of lower and middle classes, in other cases such as the historical urban centers in Aksum in the central part of Tigray, they are occupied by the upper classes in the ancient district of the town. The region is mainly mountainous and has massive stone resources that have been historically used by its inhabitants to build their houses (Smith, 2018). There are both rectangular and roundhouses. And in some areas, dense villages can be found, but the most common are scattered houses forming villages. This vernacular sustainable building practice is facing a constraint in its preservation as a change is happening rapidly. The construction industry is totally changing rapidly into new but mostly in to unsustainable practice. So this means, it is not answering by the best possible way towards the environmental factors in the area. As study by (Gebeyehu Abelti, 2001) indicates, 98.3 percent of Ethiopia’s urban housing practice still contains single-story buildings, this applies to the region of Tigray in the same manner. Being the Tigray vernacular house a stone masonry single story building type, this proves if some improvements/modifications are applied in to this practice it will withstand and continue to be functional. Conducting such studies will be vital not only for economic factors but also for sustainable as well as conservational purposes.