shtëpieke

Shtëpieke is an Albanian term meaning small houses or cottages. The word is the diminutive form of shtëpi (house) and is used to refer to modest, typically single-family dwellings. In rural and agricultural contexts, shtëpieke can denote a group of small houses forming a hamlet or a subsidiary dwelling on a farmstead, as well as individual cottages scattered in the countryside.

In Albanian-language usage, shtëpike conveys a sense of scale and informality distinct from larger family houses or urban residences. The term appears in ethnographic descriptions, architectural surveys, and oral histories that document traditional rural housing.

Architecturally, shtëpieke are usually modest in size and layout. They may consist of one or two rooms, sometimes arranged around a central courtyard, with walls built of local materials such as stone, brick, or wood and roofs covered with clay tiles or thatch, depending on region and available resources. Interiors traditionally served basic domestic functions, with spaces for cooking, sleeping, and storage.

The concept reflects wider patterns of rural life in Albanian-speaking areas, emphasizing family-based land use, agricultural labor, and vernacular building practices. While modern housing has transformed many landscapes, references to shtëpieke remain in regional histories and descriptions of traditional architecture.