Haa Dzong serves as the administrative hub of Haa district in western Bhutan. It stands at 2,710 meters elevation at the base of the Haa valley, alongside the Ha Chu river.

In the late 19th century, the Haa region was a frontier area known as "Ha Jue Zhi" bordering restive Tibet, the traditional source of external threats to Bhutan's security. The first dzong in the region was built around 1895 by Ugyen Dorji, the penlop (governor) of Haa, possibly as a bulwark against potential Tibetan invasions. A fire gutted the original structure, and the dzong was rebuilt from the ground up in 1915.

Although separated in time by only twenty years, Bhutan's security situation had improved considerably under the able leadership of HRH Ugyen Wangchuck (r. 1907-26). According to Phuntsho, "In his leadership, Bhutan saw a refreshingly new trend in politics, driven not by the selfish desire of power and supremacy as it was previously, but by a genuine concern for the security of the nation and the welfare of its citizens" (Phuntsho, p. 493). With the growth of peace, the need for heavily fortified redoubts was not as urgent as in past generations. Architects responded to this newfound sentiment by developing new approaches to dzong architecture that de-emphasized traditional defensive features. An excellent example of this new direction is the Wangdu Choling dzong in Bumthang's Choekhor valley, in central Bhutan, which served as a likely design inspiration for Haa Dzong. In contrast to dzongs of earlier periods, the Wangdu Choling included mostly token defensive features and even had windows located near ground level—a striking change from the typical practice of placing windows far out of reach of potential assailants. The only nod to defense was the inclusion of arrow slits near the roof level.

Another change of a more symbolic nature was eliminating the traditional rust-colored khemar band wrapping around the upper walls. Haa Dzong and Wangduchholding are the only two such structures built in that manner. Instead, the wall surfaces are occupied by a continuous gallery of windows.

Source: www.orientalarchitecture.com