ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Terem (Russia)

Alright kiddo, a terem is a type of traditional building in Russia that was popular a long time ago. Imagine a house that looks like a big wooden tower with a pointed roof on top.

This tower-like house was usually made out of wood, and it was built with several levels or floors. Each level was smaller than the one underneath it, so the house looked like it was narrowing towards the top.

Inside the terem, there would be different rooms for different purposes. For example, there might be one room for sleeping, one for cooking, and another for entertaining guests. The rooms were usually small and cozy, with low ceilings and little windows.

What's interesting about the terem is that it was a status symbol for wealthy families. The more levels the terem had, the more important the family was considered to be. So, some terems could have as many as five or six levels!

These days, terems are not very common anymore, but you can still see them in some parts of Russia. There are even museums that have preserved traditional terem buildings so that people can see what they looked like and learn about their history.