"The fantastic architecture of this region, whose closest cousin is South Yemen's Hadramaut, sprang from the ground on which it stands. A low line of stone makes up the foundation, standardized panels of pisé form the wall elements, and sun-dried brick is frequently added for decoration. The wall panels are prepared in adjustable wooden frames: for the lower levels the frame produces a panel roughly 3.4 feet thick, a measurement that diminishes for the upper reaches. When a module of pounded pisé has hardened, the handy-sized panels are moved up, eventually to eave height... Horizontal support for the floors and the roof is of local, and scarce, tree trunks and brushwood. The windowless lower floors are used for storage and stables, the upper levels for living."

— G. E. Kidder Smith. Looking at Architecture. p138.