An element of distinction among the different cultures that lived in Jerusalem’s nearby is the roof’s shape, which evolved from plane to sloped or dome. In the first case the structure was in wood and covered in clay, this allowed to make it walkable but, in terms of thermal mass, this wasn’t the most efficient option.
The most traditional in mountainous regions of Palestine was the dome roof, whose particular shape is the result the a lack of wood, whose use was limited to the scaffolding. The materials used to lighten it were mainly bushes, corn stalks, grass and old drapery, covered then by soil and a double layer of mortar. Inclined roofs are more typical in the Jordan valley area, the coastal plain or other sites where mudstone was the main building material and, due to its weakness in compression, didn’t allow the dome realization.