OLD NEW TENTS

A nighttime view of a Bedouin tent in the United Arab Emirates. Once very popular throughout the Arab world, they are now rarely found in the Emirates.


Tents, associated with the most primitive and natual architecture, have long been part of human history and still play an important role in our lives. Their origin goes back to the beginnings of humankind itself. Remains of 40,000-year-old tents have been found in what we now call Ukraine. Mmammoth bones and animal skins were used to cobble together rudimentary protection from the weather and attacks. Thus, fabric was probably party of mankind's first manufactured shelters. The rapid construction (traditionally with natural elements), easy dismantling, and transporting of tents is closely associated with nomadic cultures. While textile architecture is still associated with temporary, mobile, or lightweight structures, advances in construction techniques and the types of textiles and fibres used in recent decades have expanded the potential for application to contemporary achitecture and interior design projects.