Abstract
Architectural heritage is one of the most important signs of a nation's civilization. The traditional architecture of Najran city, particularly the traditional house, is an evidence of its ancient history. However, because of the lack of related studies that examine the characteristics of this traditional architecture, this study aims to explore the formal elements and characteristics of the traditional house that bestows the architectural identity to the city. The study adopted a descriptive analytical method for monitoring the most important elements and formal characteristics of the traditional house of Najran city. The study concluded that based on the house layout (footprint) and number of stories, there are several types of the traditional houses but they share the principle of simplicity in their facades formulation. The traditional house grows in a hierarchical, organic way within horizontal intervals that help to achieve a set of formal characteristics including Proportion, Rhythm, Contrast, and Correlation, whereas, the details on the vertical and horizontal edges work as a joint between the traditional house and the surrounding space.