Taq construction is a composite system of building construction with a modular layout of load-bearing masonry piers and window bays tied together with ladder-like constructions of horizontal timbers embedded in the masonry walls at each floor level and window lintel level. These horizontal timbers tie the masonry in the walls together, thus confining the brick mud or rubble stone of the wall by resisting the propagation of cracks. The masonry piers are almost always 1 to 2 feet square and the window bay/alcove (taqshe) 3 to 4 feet in width. The taq modular layout defines the Kashmiri house size measurements, i.e. a house can be 3 taq (window bays) to 13 taq in width. In Pakistan, timber-laced masonry is known by the Pashto word bhatar.