KUWAIT: The old Kuwaiti Houses differed, yet they resembled each other in construction methods that were coping with their surrounding environment, using building materials like clay and plaster. The houses were also built depending on the financial capabilities of their owners and needs of the residents, as "Ferya" and "Kabashkan" or "Sandara." Kabashkan is a Turkish oriented word meaning a lot built above the bedroom ceiling, and regularly above the bathroom door to store things of no need during the daily activities, or to store winter clothes or summer clothes every season, Kuwaiti heritage researcher Saleh Al-Methen said. Meanwhile, "Ferya" is a door connecting between the yards of two neighboring houses, he added.

Kabashkan was of one to half meter in width, and two meters in height supporting by two wooden poles, as the height of rooms celling contributed in facilitating its construction, he said. To reach the Kabashkan, to house resident use a wooden ladder called "Al-Siri" of a circular shape, he added.

It was used as place for the children to sleep in case the bedrooms was not spacious enough, Methen said. A sleeping sponge mat or "Doshag" in Kuwaiti dialect was put inside the Kabashkan before the children sleep.

It was also used to separate boys from girl during the sleeping times, he added. The Kabashkan was not known in all of the old Kuwaiti houses, but only in few of them, especially the huge ones of high number of residents, he said. It was built after building the main parts of the housed sue to small spaces and high number of family members, he affirmed. The new generation can see the Kabashkan in "Al-Bader Heritage House" which was built back in 1837 in Al-Qibla area, Methen said. - KUNA