Wooden windows disappear in Ibb [Archives:2006/930/Reportage]
Nashwan Dammaj
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Having a house in Ibb necessitates that its windows be made of aluminum, particularly those that are yellow-colored, according to public taste and fashion. As a villager, you will be doomed if you think to have wooden windows on your house, as anyone may observe while touring the city.
The wide spread of aluminum windows has been a remarkable phenomenon in Yemen since the second half of the 1980s. But this phenomenon is a special trend in Ibb for two reasons. First, aluminum windows have become the norm and public taste in every house. The second reason is associated with the quality of the glass used, its color and thickness.
Houses with wooden windows are rare in Ibb. If you see one, this means it was built in olden times. Some old houses have aluminum windows, which some consider a further beauty to the houses' beautiful image. Carpenters in Ibb city are rare. They pay little or no attention to wooden windows, concerning themselves mainly with making doors and room accessories.
Some people attribute the aluminium window habit to the city's climate and clay, as wooden windows cannot resist natural factors and therefore are exposed to fissures by sunrays and erosion due to the scourge of termite “white ants.” Additionally, windows made of wood absorb water during rainy seasons. Homeowners believe these factors damage windows in a short time period, which leads many to prefer aluminum windows to wooden ones, as they are more durable and cheaper.
But there are still those who think wooden windows in old houses resist natural factors despite the passage of hundreds of years. They see ignoring wooden windows as a matter of public taste unassociated with climate or clay. According to engineer Mute'e Dammaj, the idea that cheaper price is the primary reason behind preferring aluminum windows does not fit the style of construction.
Carpenter Kamal Meftah says, “Despite the fact that I am a carpenter, my house has aluminum windows because they add to the beauty of the home's construction.” He always advises friends and acquaintances against using wooden windows, particularly those living in the city. Meftah points out that most of his carpentry work is confined to door making, while demand for wooden windows rises only among those living in surrounding villages.
Al-Tawfiq Aluminium workshop employees Amro Ubeid and Manaf Al-Qadhi say clients prefer aluminum windows because they are cheaper and their appearance is better. White and yellow aluminum windows are favored much more by clients. Widespread in “the green city,” thick glass is used most widely in aluminum workshops, as it fits all types and colors of aluminum. Though it is expensive, it is safer.
Daytime in Ibb fades some hours before its usual end and the sun is not a sign for the day's beginning. This is what you usually perceive through aluminum windows. Ibb locals do not favor decorator curtains since they prevent light; therefore, thick glass has its function.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Salahi, Psychology Department head at Ibb University Faculty of Education, is of the view that the spread of thick glass, which constitutes 85 percent of total glass in aluminum windows, is broadly attributed to social factors. Society members, particularly those from the countryside, bear in mind that home constitutes family-related privacy, so they tend not to show what's inside. They are of the view that windows function as outlets to show privacy; therefore, thick glass is the best type to conceal their privacy. Having aluminum windows with thick glass has become an important social habit. According to Al-Salahi, it is difficult to say that selecting aluminum windows with thick glass is related to psychological aspects.
Architect Dherar Al-Tawil holds the view that locals pay more attention to quality of house design and construction. Consequently, windows play a vital role in house construction due to their special taste in the eye of the beholder. A contractor is responsible for selecting construction material without any objection by the homeowner, according to Al-Tawil.
Dammaj is of the opinion that most Ibb homeowners came from the countryside and moved from their original places during the past 20 years. Some of them have businesses in Yemen, while others are expatriates in the U.S. and Gulf countries.
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[archive-e:930-v:14-y:2006-d:2006-03-20-p:report]
