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You have probably watched, listened to, heard, or read stories about mud houses in Africa. Those stories were and are still often told through a Western lens, indicative of poverty and regression. As with all one-sided stories, they are told without nuance and are usually full of omissions and deliberate distortions. Indeed, there are mud homes in Africa, but there is more to that. One thing is sure: African artisans have always been innovative and ingenious, while celebrating the continent’s cultural history, natural elements, and religious and spiritual importance.
In December 2022, dot.ateliers, an art space founded by the internationally known Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo, was officially opened in the Ghanaian capital of Accra. In the press release and interviews, Boafo highlighted the ecological and design sustainability of the three-story building, which was built using rammed earth by Ghana-based Hive Earth Studio, which specialises in sustainable architecture and making environmentally friendly structures.
At the 2023 Sharjah Architecture Triennial, Hive Earth Studio, which prides itself in using “locally sourced and eco-friendly materials”, presented ETA’DAN, meaning “mud wall” in Fante, a local Ghanaian language. Constructed from soil sourced in the United Arab Emirates, the installation occupies the courtyard of Al Qasimiyah School. According to a release, the wall “embraces the theme of redefining the architectural perception of rammed earth, proving that aesthetics and functionality need not necessarily be compromised for a sustainable outcome.”
These two structures are examples of the recent renaissance in building homes or structures using local materials, including clay, this time fusing traditional and modern techniques, design, and aesthetics.
For centuries, clay, soil, and tradition have shaped earthen homes across Africa. The architecture in this part of the world fuses function with artistry, often adorned with carvings, murals, and layers of cultural memory.
Take, for example, the Libyan city of Ghadames, often hailed as the “Pearl of the Desert,” due to its cultural and economic importance in the region, and as a Trans Sahara slave trade route. Dating back to the 7th century, it lies near Libya’s border with Algeria and Tunisia. Described by World Archaeology as “the site of arguably the most sophisticated mud architecture in North Africa,” the old part of the city, with its homes constructed from mud, lime, and palm tree trunks, was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage sites in 1986.
The earthen homes in the old part of Ghadames offered refuge from the scorching sun and sandstorms in the region, as well as the heat on cold nights, and through their thoughtful layout, fostered a strong sense of community among their inhabitants. The architecture is distinguished by its narrow alleyways, intricately designed courtyards, and rooftop streets and lanes, often used by women to move from one house to another. Ghadames also features sunken dwellings, typically the ground floors of story buildings, accessed through a single entrance door which opens into a narrow hallway leading to a rectangular room commonly used for storing goods.
Matmata, Tunisia, brought underground architecture to international attention when one of its cave homes served as Luke Skywalker’s childhood home in Star Wars (1977), drawing tourists from around the world. Dating back centuries, these troglodyte (meaning cave dwellers) houses showcase the intersection of nature, history, and culture, while offering protection against the desert’s extreme heat and sandstorms.
The entrance, carved into the side of a small hill, opens onto a network of tunnels that connect the various parts of the home and lead to courtyards. Within these dwellings, inhabitants continue to practice and preserve the Berber cultural heritage, traditions, and skills passed down through generations.
Often called the “Hollywood of Africa,” Morocco is a favoured destination for film productions across the continent, where landscapes and traditional earthen architecture frequently star in cinematic productions. Throughout southern Morocco are Kasbahs (meaning fortress), which hold both crucial historical and architectural importance. Constructed using the rammed earth technique, which compacts soil, clay, and sand into sturdy walls, these homes protect from both heat and cold, depending on the season. Ksours (an Arabic word for castle) are also prominent landmarks in the region, including the village of Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 and a popular backdrop for movies and TV shows, like The Message, Lawrence of Arabia, and Game of Thrones.
In West Africa, the painted earthen architecture of the Kassena in Ghana and Burkina Faso is a delight. From as far back as the 15th century, members of the ethnic group, usually women who learnt from their mothers, have been decorating the walls of their homes with murals that make these structures easy to identify. Beyond their aesthetic appeal, these buildings were designed as a defensive shield against enemies. Doors, particularly those of elders’ homes, are often small to prevent outsiders from seeing inside, and the absence of windows in some houses helps maintain warmth. Thick walls further regulate temperature, keeping interiors cool during scorching days and warm through chilly nights.
The Royal Cour de Tiébélé, home to the community chief, is deliberately built apart from other houses, providing both easier escape routes and a safe refuge in case of threats to nearby dwellings. Builders make Kassena earthen homes from a mixture of clay, straw, and cow dung, which strengthens the clay and enhances the durability of the walls.
The shape of a home is a reflection of the social status of its residents: square homes are for families, circular buildings for bachelors, and homes shaped like the number eight are for grandparents. This architectural precision highlights the skill of Kassena men, while women are responsible for decorating the earthen walls using paints made from chalk, basalt, laterite, clay, and water. The murals, featuring intricate shapes and symbols, often tell stories of the community’s culture, history, customs, religion, and heritage.
The Hausa people have a remarkable architectural heritage, including mosques, walls, public buildings, and homes across Ghana, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon. Long before Western influence arrived on the continent, they were constructing buildings with specialised techniques, sophisticated structural designs, and intricate wall and façade engravings that rival any renowned architecture worldwide. These vibrant structures, crafted from mud and stone, have stood for centuries, often featuring tall compounds designed for security and privacy. As with many traditional African architectures, the scale, layout, and ornamentation of these buildings reflect a combination of religious, economic, and social factors, offering a window into the community’s hierarchy and values.
Also in Ghana is the ‘Mecca of West Africa’, the Larabanga Mosque, built in 1421 with mud and wood. The Sudano-Sahelian style structure is located in the country’s Savannah Region and is said to be one of the oldest mosques in West Africa and the oldest in Ghana.
On the Togo and Benin border is the takienta, made from mudbricks and the traditional homes of the people of Batammariba (meaning those who shape the earth) in Koutammakou, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Great Mosque of Djenné in Mali is also an important landmark and an example of earthen architecture on this side of the continent. Believed to be the most significant building made out of mudbricks in the world, it was first built around the 13th century and has undergone several rebuildings, and has since been named a UNESCO World Heritage site. The unique features of the mosque include minarets and hundreds of protruding oil palm poles. Once every year, the community comes together during the one-day Crépissage de la Grande Mosquée festival to plaster the exterior of the mosque as part of efforts to prevent the walls from cracking. The event is also a display of themes, including faith and heritage, by the community.
Also in Mali is the Djingareyer Mosque in Timbuktu, said to have been built with materials including mudbrick, fibre, limestone, and straw in the mid-1320s during the reign of Mansa Musa, the ruler of the Mali Empire. It was later renovated by Aqib Ibn Mahmud, the Qadi of Timbuktu in the 16th century. In 1988, UNESCO added the mosque to its World Heritage site list.
Speaking of renovation, a formerly dilapidated Hausa mosque was restored and turned into what is now the Hikma Complex in Niger, blending traditional and modernist techniques, materials, and designs.
The Museum of West African Art in Nigeria is also an example of the resurgence of structures built with rammed earth. The massive one-story building was constructed from locally sourced earth with sustainability at the top of mind. Founded in 2020, it will play an enormous role for the continent, and West Africa in particular, highlighting its rich cultural heritage, and will open to the public in November.
In East Africa, an example of a building made from rammed earth is the 32° East Arts Centre, powered by 32° East, a non-profit supporting artists from that part of the continent, located in the Ugandan capital of Kampala.
Artisans from Africa have long been inventive and resourceful. In building from earth, they were practising sustainability or caring about the environment long before it became cool centuries ago. A new generation is also building, all pun intended, on that with modern technology.
Like Joelle Eyeson and Christian De Heer, the founders of Hive Earth Studio, there are a slew of architects, designers, and rammed-earth construction specialists, including Francis Kéré (Burkina Faso), Fatiya Diene Mazza (Senegal), Mariam Issoufou (Niger), Nzinga Biegueng Mboup (Senegal), Tosin Oshinowo (Nigeria), and Cave Bureau, a Nairobi-based architecture company of architects and researchers, who are doing impressive work in this endeavour.
Words: Gameli Hamelo
