Izba is a traditional Russian countryside house, a kind of log house. The word, which is common to many Slavic languages, is usually explained as an ancient loan from either Vulgar Latin (cf. French étuve) or Germanic languages (cf. Old High German stuba).(External Link) Izba is the house of the conventional Russian farmstead, generally built close to the road, and in conjunction with a barn, kitchen garden, and hayshed. The surrounding outbuildings composed a yard, which would have been… (More on Izba)