The second system, dhajji dewari construction, consists of a braced timber frame with masonry infill, which for example in England is commonly referred to as “half-timbered” construction. Not much is known about when taq or dhajji dewari came into vogue, but the notion of using timber members as braces within weak masonry walls can be found in many cultures through history. In Kashmir, historical sources can be found which remark on the timber construction from as early as 1148 by Kalhana in his
Rajtarangani (“Chronicle of Kings”) who said the “Mansions of the city…reached the clouds and were mostly built of wood,” and again in 1398 by Tímúr the Tátár, who wrote in his autobiography that “the buildings of the city are very large and all of wood” and they are “very strong and will stand for 500 or 700 years”