In the past centuries masonry was made using the materials found on the sites, with mechanical characteristics that depended on the base materials and workmanship. Through experience, in ancient times, builders were aware of earthquake risk in seismic prone areas. Construction rules in the past were the result of builders’ observation of existing building performances. The knowledge was then passed down through generations as executive rules and reference techniques for the construction of safe structures. This approach was evident in the June 22nd, 2022 earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan and the housing compounds. The clay wall fencings of the compounds have impressive heights exceeding five meters. The walls are built with blocks made of local clay mixed with small natural aggregate with good plasticity and cohesion. On site investigations revealed that these walls, when not affected by leakage degradation, exhibit good seismic performance. A reference model that interprets the wall dynamic behaviour is proposed using an energetic approach and multi-block rocking. The equilibrium configuration of a multi-block wall allows a greater displacement capacity when compared to a monolithic wall. The “potential energy capacity” is used as a parameter to define the out-of-plane seismic performance of the specific type of traditional masonry. An unexpected connection was revealed comparing the Afghanistan traditional construction method with others used in high-risk seismic areas, such as Turkey, Nepal and Italy. By documenting construction techniques used in the past and solutions used to improve the seismic performance of the masonry, the construction rules used in ancient walls have been re-evaluated.