SHANGLA: Upper Kohistan is famous for buildings with unique stone and wood work.

Most houses and shops in Upper Kohistan, Dassu, Harban, Shtyal, Sazeen, Kandya Nullah, Shori Nullah, Sumar Nullah, Bhsha, Diamar, Tanger and suburban areas have such structures, which are low cost and solidly built at the same time.

“The houses made of stones are better than cement-made houses because they are cooler in summer and hotter in winter. We prefer stone-made houses to those made of cement,” Karimullah, a resident of Harban area, told Dawn.

He said the tradition of stone-made houses and shops had long been there in the remote areas of Upper Kohistan.

Stone, wood is used to put up strong, low cost structures

He, however, said the people living in lower parts of the region opted for cement-made houses.

“We love our traditions and rich cultural heritage. The government should help us preserve this unique architecture,” he said.

For stone work, there are special masons and artisans connected with the profession long.

Mason Wazeer said he had been building houses using stones and wood for over 10 years.

He said more than 3,000 skilled people were associated with that work in Upper Kohistan.

Wazir said the stones available in Kohistan only were used in the masonry.

He said masons along with three or four labours broke a huge rock with special hammers into blocks before fixing them in a place with the help of mud.

“After every three feet of stone masonry, three inches wooden plank are fixed to construct walls,” he said.

The mason said the ancient stone masonry produced attractive, good art besides low-cost and strong structures.

He said the combination of stone and wood made buildings stronger.

“During the devastating earthquake of 2005 and 2015, the structures made of stone and wood remained undamaged,” he said.

He said in such shops, big doors were not used and instead only a small window like door was fixed.

Social activist Talib Jan said the stone and wood masonry was the unique tradition of Kohistan.

“The stone and wood made architecture of Kohistan is completely different of the stone masonry used in other parts of the province,” he said.

The social activist said both the federal and provincial governments should take steps to preserve and promote that unique architecture and cultural heritage.

Geologist Abdul Wahab said though Kohistan and other northern areas were located on the fault line, the structures made of stone and wood were safe.

He said the unique architecture was approved by the international geological experts.

“I’ve never heard about such stone and wood made houses collapse in earthquake and heavy rains,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2016