India · Timber Frame Construction; Masonry Infill; Vernacular Architecture; Architectural Craft
Dhajji dewari / dhajji diwari (Persian: 'patchwork quilt wall')
A timber-framed building method of the Kashmir Himalaya. A closely braced timber frame is erected first on a shallow stone plinth; the many small panels between its studs and bracing are filled with a single thin layer of stone or brick laid in mud mortar, and the wall is plastered with mud. The frame carries vertical loads, while the infill resists lateral force by cracking and sliding without collapsing. Houses are one to four storeys, with a flat timber-and-mud roof or a pitched roof. Dhajji buildings are typically built by the owner with the advice of a local mason-carpenter (mistri), over weeks or years. They performed well in the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. A 2023 paper reports the method has largely disappeared from parts of Kashmir in favor of brick and cement, while after 2005 more than 120,000 rural houses were rebuilt in dhajji style through training programs.
Risk level: Endangered · Not listed by UNESCO. No national or state heritage-craft listing was found in the sources consulted. India's building codes refer to it as 'brick nogged timber frame construction'.
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