mud brick
Quick Summary
Mud brick, also known as adobe, is a building material made from a mixture of clay, sand, and silt, combined with water and sometimes fibrous material like straw. This mixture is shaped into bricks and then dried in the sun. This construction method dates back thousands of years and is primarily used in arid or semiarid climates due to the scarcity of wood and the material's excellent insulation properties.12
Adobe bricks are typically air-cured for at least two weeks. They are laid using a mortar of the same material and can be finished with adobe, lime, or cement plaster. Properly constructed and maintained adobe walls can last for centuries. The use of adobe is found in regions like the Mediterranean, North Africa, Spain, and across the Americas, from the southwestern United States to Peru.1
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
constructionBronze Age and early urban cultures…those constructed of prefabricated units: mud bricks. This represented a major conceptual change from the free forms of packed clay to the geometric modulation imposed by the rectangular brick, and the building plans too became strictly rectangular.
Read More…those constructed of prefabricated units: mud bricks. This represented a major conceptual change from the free forms of packed clay to the geometric modulation imposed by the rectangular brick, and the building plans too became strictly rectangular.
Read More
IndiaPlanning and architecture…of burned brick to unburned mud brick vary. Mohenjo-daro employs burned brick, perhaps because timber was more readily available, while mud brick was reserved for fillings and mass work. Kalibangan, on the other hand, reserved burned brick for bathrooms, wells, and drains. Most of the domestic architecture at Kalibangan was…
Read More…of burned brick to unburned mud brick vary. Mohenjo-daro employs burned brick, perhaps because timber was more readily available, while mud brick was reserved for fillings and mass work. Kalibangan, on the other hand, reserved burned brick for bathrooms, wells, and drains. Most of the domestic architecture at Kalibangan was…
Read More