Earthen Building & Gypsum Ornament

A traditional craft of adorning homes with geometric gypsum carving and ornament drawn from Najdi heritage.

Traditional Building

About Earthen Building & Gypsum Ornament

Earthen building mixes soil with water and straw, shapes it into sun-dried mud brick, and raises thick walls that keep a house cool in summer and warm in winter. Inner walls are then coated in gypsum and carved with geometric and floral motifs before it sets.

The gypsum ornament frames majlis rooms, doorways and ventilation openings, joining function with beauty and giving Najdi architecture its familiar triangles, stepped parapets and interlaced circles.

How it is made

Step 1: Preparing the mud and mixing in straw
Step 2: Moulding the bricks and drying them in the sun
Step 3: Raising the walls and roofing with tamarisk beams
Step 4: Coating the walls with gypsum
Step 5: Carving the ornament before the gypsum sets

Tools

Wooden mould
Spade
Carving tools

Raw materials

Clay
Straw
Water
Gypsum
Tamarisk beams
Palm fronds

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