Step off Kathmandu’s busy Thamel and Asan streets and slip through a low wooden doorway, and you find yourself in a different city — a quiet square of brick and carved wood called a bahal. These courtyards have been the heart of Newari life in the valley for centuries.

What Is a Bahal?

A bahal is a square of houses opening onto a shared central courtyard, usually with a small shrine, a well, and a chaitya (stupa) in the middle. People live here, dry their laundry, fix bikes and gossip — all metres away from a temple older than most cathedrals in Europe.

Three to Start With

Itum Bahal, just north of Asan, is the oldest still in use. Kichandra Bahal nearby has the famous “hairy demon” relief on its wall. And Hakha Bahal in Patan is quieter — a brilliant first stop south of the river.