Historical wooden architecture of Kashmir is on the decline. PHOTO: EXPRESS
The rows of wooden houses once standing beneath the lush green mountains of Neelam Valley are getting shorter as people in these areas are using cement and iron to construct their homes. Prof Abdur Rehman, an environmentalist and resident of Doosat village in Neelam Valley, said “we have been seeing wooden houses here since our childhood, but now people are blindly following modern construction methods which may be suited to cities on flat land, but not here, on the top of the world.
Elders of the area are not welcoming the new trend as they fear it will bring an end to the construction of wooden houses. They believe that a comprehensive awareness campaign must be launched to save the fading wooden architecture across the upper reaches of AJK, which has been part of their culture for hundreds of years.
Neelam Valley welcomes every tourist with picturesque and unique wooden structures with striking balconies and woodwork on windows and ceilings. Many of the old houses have huge doors with intricate carvings on them made by famous craftsmen.
Locals build wooden houses to maximise ventilation in the summer and access to sunlight from all directions in the winter.
Neelam Valley is famous for pine and walnut wood, which is used for interior decoration, doors and beds. The panelling, columns and carving on doors and walls by carpenters are a local speciality which is at its lowest ebb as concrete structures demand masonry rather than skilled woodwork.
Historians give the credit for introducing and promoting wooden houses in the upper reaches of Kashmir --- particularly in Neelam and Leepa valleys --- to Zainul Abidin, the ruler of ancient Jammu and Kashmir. He had wooden mosques constructed, aimed at attracting common people towards wooden houses’ construction with carved doors and windows. People in Neelam Valley claim woodcraftsmen have been an indigenous talent in this region, with some moving to AJK after partition.
Residents believe that the rising trend of concrete use has eroded the traditional panelling, ceiling and carving of doors and windows. This has not only left many carpenters in these remote areas jobless, but has also worn away centuries-old architecture which was once among the most beautiful and impressive parts of the culture and civilization of Kashmir.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2013.
COMMENTS (3)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
@khan: Concrete structures are better than wooden. Look at Japan for instance, even at 9 degree earth quake in 2011, the sky scrappers stood tall. If we do not avoid engneering recommnedations, we can have safe houses with concrete.
Wooden houses are a bit unsafe because these are fire risk. Building with concrete is certainly better but the concrete needs protection from weather so brick should be used to line up concrete structure from outside to counter destructive influence of weather. Concrete does not last as long as does the brick but concrete needs to replace wood to build floors, roof, supporting columns and house foundation. It is also worthwhile to build basement out of concrete.We can see brick structure still standing since centuries in central Asian countries. Wood still, has many uses in the house.
These concrete structures should never be allowed in this area because of earthquakes these concrete house are death traps.