How a dzong is built

A dzong is built from stone and rammed earth, limewashed white, with a painted timber band running the walls above head height. The central tower, the utse, is the tallest structure inside.

Four hundred years old, and the plan has hardly moved.

Traditional construction used timber joints rather than nails. Roofs are shingled and weighted, and the gilded finial at the top marks the temple at the centre.

The plan has barely changed in four centuries. Repairs use the same materials where they can, so the building ages slowly and in place.