Kiosk is a small, separated garden pavilion open on some or all sides. Kiosks were common in Persia, India, Pakistan, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, there are many kiosks in and around the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, and they are still a relatively common sight in Greece.
In the Western hemisphere and in English-speaking countries, a kiosk is also a booth with an open window on one side. Some vendors operate from kiosks (see mall kiosk), selling small, inexpensive consumables such as newspapers, magazines, lighters, street maps, cigarettes, and confections.
An information kiosk (or information booth) dispenses free information in the form of maps, pamphlets, and other literature, and/or advice offered by an attendant.
An electronic kiosk (or computer kiosk or interactive kiosk) houses a computer terminal that often employs custom kiosk software designed to function flawlessly while preventing users from accessing system functions. Indeed, kiosk mode describes such a mode of software operation. Computerized kiosks may store data locally, or retrieve it from a computer network. Some computer kiosks provide a free, informational public service, while others serve a commercial purpose (see mall kiosk). Touchscreens, trackballs, computer keyboards, and pushbuttons are all typical input devices for interactive computer kiosk. Touchscreen kiosks are commercially used as industrial appliances, reducing lines, eliminating paper, improving efficiency and service. Their uses are unlimited from refrigerators to airports, health clubs, movie theaters and libraries.
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The word is of Persian origin. In the Mediterranean Basin and the Near East, a kiosk (Persian: کوشک kušk; Arabic: كشك košk; Turkish: köşk; Tagalog: kyos; Urdu: کھوک khoka; French: kiosque; Greek: περίπτερο; German: Kiosk; Polish: kiosk; Estonian: kiosk; Czech: kiosek; Portuguese: quiosque; Romanian: chioşc; Bulgarian: кьошк kyoshk; Croatian: kiosk Serbian: киоск or kiosk; Russian: киоск kiosk; and Spanish: quiosco or kiosco).
The word "köşk" is currently used to refer to an old Ottoman style building, made of wood and clad with stone, with multiple storeys, built for a wealthy person, set in a garden, and mainly used for recreation. During the 18th century, Turkish influences in Europe established the kiosk (gazebo) as an important feature in European gardens. Despite some claims that the word kiosk originally came from the Swahili language, all evidence points to a Persian origin as detailed above
Were in the form of corridors connecting the Pavilion to the stables and consisting of a passage of flowers covered with glass and linked with orangery, a greenhouse, an aviary, a pheasantry and hothouses. The influence of Muslim and Islamo-Indian forms appears clearly in these buildings and particularly in the pheasantry where its higher part isban adaptation of the kiosks found on the roof of Allahabad Palace and illustrated by Thomas Daniell. Today’s conservatories incorporate many Muslim elements, although modern art forms have shifted from the classical art forms that were used in earlier times.