MUSTANG/MUSTANG

ARCHITECTURE

• IN MUSTANG MOST OF THE BUILDINGS ARE VERNACULAR

WITH ITS OWN UNIQUE ARCHITECTURAL STYLE.
• THE VILLAGE BEHIND THE MOUNTAIN’, IS THE HOME FOR
THE THAKALI AND HINDU PEOPLE WITH UNIQUE CULTURE,
TRADITIONS, AND LANGUAGE.
• UNTIL 1992, MUSTANG WAS THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM
AND WAS ISOLATED FROM THE WORLD.
• AFTER 27 YEARS SINCE MUSTANG GOT EXPOSURE, THE
CULTURE, AND ARCHITECTURE OF THIS PLACE HAS BEEN
ALREADY INFLUENCED.
 LOCATION
• MUSTANG LIES IN NORTHERN NEPAL, WITH LATITUDE AND
LONGITUDE 28.9985° N, 83.8473° E.
• IT IS SITUATED ON THE BORDER OF NEPAL AND TIBET, NORTH
OF THE ANNAPURNA RANGE, AND EXTENDS INTO THE
TIBETAN PLATEAU.
• HUMAN SETTLEMENTS IN MUSTANG, NEPAL, ARE LOCATED
AT ALTITUDES BETWEEN 2,800 AND 4,000 METERS.
 ORIGIN

•RECORDED HISTORY OF MUSTANG DATES BACK TO THE 14TH CENTURY WHEN

THE REGION WAS RULED BY THE LO KINGS.

•IN THE 18TH CENTURY ,THE LO KINGS CAME INTO CONFLICT WITH THE
GURKHA ARMY WHICH WAS EXPANDING ITS TERRITORY .THE GURKHA
EVENTUALLY CONQUERED MUSTANG AND ADDED IT TO THE KINGDOM OF
NEPAL
 LANGUAGE
THE PEOPLE OF MUSTANG SPEAK SEVERAL RELATED TIBETIC
LANGUAGES:
• LHOWA - 3000 TIBETAN PEOPLE
• LOKE - 9000 IN UPPER MUSTANG
• SEKE – SPOKEN BY THE PEOPLE OF SERIB

RELIGION
• PEOPLE OF MUSTANG ARE MIXTURE
OF VARIOUS ITHINICS GROUP
INCLUDING THE GURUNG, THAKALI,
AND LOPA.
• THE INHABITANTS OF MUSTANG
EITHER BELONG TO TIBETIAN OR
THAKALI ORIGIN .
 CULTURE
• THAKALI GROUP-ORIGINAL ETHNIC GROUP OF MUSTANG(ACTIVE
IN SALT TRADE FROM TIBET AND ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS IN
WESTERN NEPAL).
• MOST PEOPLE LIVE AND WORK ON THE SAME BUILDING
DECREASING THEIR DAILY TRAVEL TIME.
• MOST OF THE HOUSEHOLD CHORES ARE HANDLED BY WOMEN.
• FAMOUS THING - ALCOHOL MADE OF APPLE.
• ‘THE ARCHERY FESTIVAL’ ONE OF THE FAMOUS FESTIVALS.
• COMPACT VILLAGE, AND PEOPLE LIVE LIKE A BIG FAMILY.

FIG. COMPACT SETTLEMENT

FIG. TIJI FESTIVAL FIG. ARCHERY FESTIVAL
 ECONOMY

• MUSTANG DISTRICT IN NEPAL'S WESTERN HIMALAYAS REMAINS

A TRADING ROUTE BETWEEN TIBET AND NEPAL.
• ‘AGRICULTURE’ DOMINANT ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, 80.65 PERCENT
ENGAGED .
• BUSINESS (6.82%), GOVERNMENT SERVICE (1.91%), HOUSE
WORK (3.50%), FOREIGN EMPLOYMENT (3.97%) AND OTHERS
(3.14%)
• SHEEP AND MOUNTAIN GOAT REARING FOR LIVELIHOOD ‘AGRO-
PASTORALISM’
• ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOOD - TOURISM, TRANSPORT AND LABOUR
MIGRATION.
 SETTLEMENT PATTERN :
• SETTLEMENT PATTERN OF BOTH MARPHA
AND JOMSOM WERE COMPACT
• ROADS OF MUSTANG ARE :
1. BENI-JOMSOM HIGHWAY
2. INNER-VILLAGE ROAD

•HOUSES ARE ARRANGED AT EITHER SIDE OF

THE ROAD.

•WIDTH OF THE ROAD VARIES FROM 6’ TO 8’

DEPENDING ON THE TOPOGRAPHY OF PLACE. PRIMARY ROAD SECONDARY ROAD

•ROAD INSIDE THE VILLAGE IS DIVIDED AS A

PRIMARY, SECONDARY AND TERTIARY ROAD.

• PRIMARY ROADS ARE THE MAIN ROADS WITH

HOTELS AND SHOPS ON EITHER SIDE.
TERRITORY ROAD
 STREET PATTERN
MARPHA:
• CURVED STREETS.
•ORGANIC STREET PATTERN, THE WIND SPEED IS BLOCKED AND THUS IT FEELS
WARM INSIDE THE VILLAGE.
• THE STONEPAVED HISTORICAL STREET PATTERNS.
•. BUT THE ROAD IS QUITE NARROW FOR VEHICULAR ACCESS.
JOMSOM:
• BIG AS THE TWO-WAY VEHICLE CAN ACCESS EASILY.
•SETTLEMENT HAS GROWN ON EITHER SIDE OF THE STREET.
•AFTER CROSSING THE BRIDGE, THE STREET PATTERN IN THE OLD JOMSOM IS AGAIN
ARTICULATE PATTERN.
•THE ROAD OF JOMSOM LACKS THE CURVINESS
DRAINAGE SYSTEM
•INDIVIDUAL VERNACULAR HOUSES LACK THE PROPER
DRAINAGE SYSTEM
• IN THE OLD SETTLEMENT, THE DRAINAGE CHANNELS
ARE FOUND IN EACH OLD AND NEW HOUSE
Overall Village Drainage System:
TYPICAL HOUSE OF MARPHA : ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS
• UPPER FLOOR IS USED FOR PRIVATE PURPOSES
• GROUND FLOOR IS USED FOR MORE PUBLIC PURPOSE
•HOUSES IN MARPHA ARE TYPICALLY BUILT WITH WHITEWASHED WALLS, FLAT ROOFS,
AND INTRICATE WOODCARVINGS. BEDROOM

COURTYARD
COURTYARD

STOR
AGE

STOR
AGE WO
AC RKP
E L

FIG : GROUND FLOOR PLAN FIG : FIRST FLOOR PLAN

SEMI OPEN KITCHEN
SPACE
WOODEN
OPENING
WOOD STACK

LESS OPENING
WOODEN LADDER

WATER
SURROUNDING BUILDINGS
TAP
WOODEN DOOR

COURTYARD
FIG :ELEVATION
FIG : SECTION
 MATERIALS USES :
WALL : STONE WALL WITH MORTAR WHITE WASHED WITH LIME
FLOOR : MUD AND STONE FLOORING
PAVEMENTS : CHISELED STONE SLABS
DOOR AND WINDOW : WOOD

WOOD STACK ON ROOF

STONE WALL

WOODEN RAFTERS WOODEN POST

 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY
• WALL THICKNESS OF BUILDING IS 14”

•GROUND FLOOR HAS 4” WOODEN PILLAR

WITH THREE LAYERS OF WOODEN
RAFTERSE

• DEPTH OF THE SLAB IS DEEPER IN FIG : STRUCTURAL DETAIL OF VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE

BALCONY SPACE THAN IN OTHER PARTS.

FOUNDATION
•FOUNDATIONS AND PLINTH ARE OF STONE RUBBLE
MASONRY USING MUD MORTAR.
MUD MORTAR
• FOUNDATION DEPTH IS A MAXIMUM OF 60
CM(24”)
• RUBBLE MASONRY IS RAISED UP ABOVE THE
GROUND FLOOR LEVEL.
FIG : FOUNDATION DETAIL

• FOUNDATION RUNS ABOVE THE EARTH TO FORM

WALL
 WALL
• CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS OF THE WALL ARE
STONE AND EARTH.

• EARTH WALLS THAT ARE 45CM THICK ARE

CONSTRUCTED EITHER RUBBLE MASONRY OR
RAMMED EARTH ( GYANKA THA).

• WOODEN SHUTTER OF FIXED LENGTH AND HEIGHT

(ABOUT 18 INCHES) ARE POSITIONED ON TOP OF THE
FOUNDATION

• RUBBLE STONE MASONRY IS PREFERRED IF THE SOIL FIG :WALL SECTION OF STONE

QUALITY IS NOT SUITABLE.

•HEIGHT OF THE STONE WALL ON GROUND FLOOR IS

5’6”& UPPER FLOOR IS 7’6”.
 CHARACTERISTICS

• WOODS ARE STACK AT ROOF OF THE

BUILDINGS.

• SMALL WHEARAS THE LARGER ONES ARE

OPEN ON TO THE COURTYARD

• PLASTERWORK IS NOT COMMON BUT

MUD AND LIME PLASTER WORK SEEN IN
FEW BUILDING .

• HOUSE ARE TYPICALLY COMPACT IN

DESIGN , WITH SMALL WINDOW AND
NARROW DOORWAYS .
 INFLUENCE OF CONTEMPORARY
ARCHITECTURE
AFTER THE INTRODUCTION OF ROAD AND AIRPORT, THE NEW
BUILDING WERE STARTED TO BE BUILT ALONG THE
ROADSIDE,WHICH FORCED THE CHANGE IN THE SHAPE OF THE
SETTLEMENT FROM COMPACT TO LINEAR.
THE CHANGES THAT ARE SEEN AFTER THE INFLUENCE OF
CONTEMPOORARY ARCHITECTURE ARE: