Architectural characteristics, materials and craftsmanship of roofs in Theth, a village in the Albanian Alps

The following article is a result of an “in field study” for the roofs in the village of Theth - located in the heart of the Albanian Alps. The expeditions was held in July and September 2018. The village of Theth is spread in more than 4 km² separated in 11 neighborhoods. Today still can be find a considerable number of authentic houses that face a rapid change and deterioration due to “modernization” and abandonment. With focus on roof structures the article bring information and data for one of the less studied traditional architectural element and try to give advices on how to restore and rehabilitate them. Typologically the roofs of Theth are part of the so called “Alpine Roofs”. The considerable inclination make them different from the other roofs used in traditional buildings in Albania. The construction and also the covering is realized with pine wood, which is a special kind of pine that was preferable called by local craft-people as “Rock Pine” or “Black Pine” (Pinus nigra Arn.) known to be grow in the high mountains and especially in rocky ground. This make the wood of this pine dense and rich in resins, two characteristics that guarantee the long life of the wood. Craft-people used to be local, and that’s why in the terminology of the roof elements is mainly Albanian and bare very few Turkish-ottoman words that we find often in other regions in Albania