Re-use of clay and soil materials in construction in war-ravaged areas of the Syrian desert

This study discusses the housing problem in the desert region of northern Syria, especially in the cities of Rakka, Deir Ezzor, and the rural areas of Aleppo, Homs, and Hasakah which were destroyed by the war, and shows how mud can be a basic and local building material as an alternative to modern building materials. After the introduction in the second chapter, mud-based building materials have been defined, and also the properties of mud as a building material have been determined. Modern and traditional construction mud techniques, the advantages and disadvantages of each, and the effects of using clay material are also explored. In the third chapter, mud structure examples similar to the study area are researched in order to reveal the effectiveness of mud in meeting the needs of today's people. The fourth chapter is about the field of study. Starting from prehistoric times to the ages of the Syrian kingdoms and up to the present, a historical mud architecture study has been carried out in order to know the importance of mud material for this region. In addition, the possibility of applying mud houses in the post-war housing project in the study area was discussed and the two post-war housing projects were compared. In the end, the reasons why mud architecture is not preferred today are analyzed and a suitable model proposal is presented according to the conditions of the study area.