Songhai architecture
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Songhai architecture or Zarma architecture refers to the traditional Sahelian architectural style of the Songhai people in West Africa. The architecture typically encompasses mud-brick buildings, flat roofs, and distinctive designs reflecting the cultural and historical aspects of the Songhai civilization.[1][2]
In Songhai homelands, rural areas consist of fortified enclosures where a family group known as “windi”lives. A typical rural Songhai house is either round with mud walls or rectangular with walls made of sun-dried mud bricks, often featuring thatched roofs. The Songhai predominantly reside in houses within walled or fenced enclosures, which usually include a main house for the husband and smaller dwellings for each of his wives and their children. Traditional houses are huts called “Bugu.” Social activities commonly occur outside in the compound, where food is prepared and consumed, and people visit each other in the evening.[3][4]
Historic Songhai-dominated urban centers like Gao, Hombori, Dosso, Timbuktu, and Djenne feature traditional adobe buildings such as the Great Mosque of Djenné, the University of Timbuktu, as well as the Palace of the Djermakoy and Royal palace of Gao-Saney and the Tomb of Askia. In Niamey, where traditional Songhai structures in urban areas often blend modern design with traditional Songhai building techniques.[5]