Mineral building traditions in the Himalayas : the mineralogical impact on the use of clay as building material Frontmatter ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CONTENTS GENERAL REMARKS I. INTRODUCTION II. MINERAL TRADITIONS AT THE NYARMA MONASTERY IN LADAKH III. ARGA STONE ROOF CONSTRUCTION IV. MARKALAK CLAY V. SUMMARY AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES VI. APPENDIX CHAPTER II VII. APPENDIX CHAPTER III VIII. APPENDIX CHAPTER IV IX. BIBLIOGRAPHY X. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Mineral building materials and regionally related methods of processing are an essential part of building culture throughout the Himalayas. Based on transregional knowledge transfer raw materials have been able to find an ecologically and economically optimised destiny in particular local applications. For this study samples were collected as raw material or originated from certain building components. Samples were analysed according to their material properties and architectural application. Traditional building techniques were examined and their correlation with traceable material qualities studied. Clay specific properties such as colour grain size distribution grain shape hardness plasticity organic additives or bulk and clay mineral properties were used as comparative parameters. This study gives fresh insight into the interaction between technical requirements environmental resources and material implementation. It is the first scientific approach in studying the Himalayan earthen heritage in a wide scope and connecting material research and cultural heritage from various perspectives in particular archaeology architecture research on materials and building techniques. Earthen heritage: First studies spanning over a wide area of the Himalayas. Material culture: New insights in technical development. Research: Using methods of the field of clay mineralogy for the determination of material properties.