Dzong architecture

Dzong architecture is a distinctive type of fortified monastery found primarily in Bhutan and Tibet, its name derived from Dzongkha, the language of Bhutan. A dzong typically presents massive exterior walls, sloping inward, of white painted brick and stone with few or no windows in their lower sections, often marked with a band of red ochre striping and gold circles near the top, and interior temples crowned with distinctive flared roofs, all entered through large wooden and iron doors. Inside, a dzong encloses a complex of courtyards, temples, administrative offices and monks' quarters decorated with Buddhist artistic themes, with interior space in Bhutan traditionally divided evenly between administrative and religious use, so that the buildings served as the religious, military, administrative and social center of their district. Notably, dzongs are built without architectural plans, their construction directed instead by the spiritual guidance of high lamas and carried out through corvee labor obligations owed by local households.