Editing Dzong architecture (section)

==Siting of dzongs==
[[Image:TrongsaDzong.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Trongsa Dzong]], the largest dzong fortress in [[Bhutan]].]]
Bhutanese dzong architecture reached its zenith in the 17th century under the leadership of [[Ngawang Namgyal]], the 1st [[Zhabdrung Rinpoche]]. The Zhabdrung relied on visions and omens to site each of the dzongs. Modern military strategists would observe that the dzongs are well-sited with regard to their function as defensive fortresses. [[Wangdue Phodrang]] dzong, for instance, is set upon a spur overlooking the confluence of the [[Sankosh River|Sankosh]] (Puna Tsang) and [[Tang Chuu|Tang]] Rivers, thus blocking any attacks by southern invaders who attempted to use a river route to bypass the trackless slopes of the middle Himalayas in attacking central Bhutan. [[Drukgyel]] Dzong at the head of the [[Paro, Bhutan|Paro]] valley guards the traditional [[Tibet]]an invasion path over the passes of the high Himalayas.
[[Image:Wangdue Phodrang Dzong.jpg|thumb|230px|right|Dzong at [[Wangdue Phodrang]], Bhutan.]]
Dzongs were frequently built on a hilltop or mountain spur. If the dzong is built on the side of a valley wall, a smaller dzong or watchtower is typically built directly uphill from the main dzong with the purpose of keeping the slope clear of attackers who might otherwise shoot downward into the courtyard of the main dzong below (see image at head of article).

[[Punakha Dzong]] is distinctive in that it is sited on a relatively flat spit of land at the confluence of the [[Mo Chhu|Mo]] and [[Pho Chhu|Pho]] Rivers. The rivers surround the dzong on three sides, providing protection from attack. This siting proved inauspicious, however, when in 1994 a glacial lake 90 kilometers upstream burst through its [[Ice jam|ice dam]] to cause a massive flood on the Pho Chhu, damaging the dzong and taking 23 lives.