Muzibu Azaala Mpanga (Kasubi Tombs)

The Muzibu Azaala Mpanga is the main building of the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi, on a hill in Kampala, Uganda. It is a circular structure under a vast dome of grass thatch, built of wooden poles, reeds and wattle without any structural masonry in its original form. It is widely described as one of the most remarkable buildings in sub-Saharan Africa made entirely of plant materials.

History

Kasubi was the palace of Muteesa I, the 35th Kabaka (king) of Buganda, who built it in 1882 to replace an earlier palace of 1820. When he died in 1884 he was buried there, and the palace became a royal burial ground. Four Kabakas lie in the main building: Muteesa I, Mwanga II (who died in exile in the Seychelles; his remains were returned in 1910), Daudi Chwa II, and Sir Edward Muteesa II (who died in London; his remains were returned in 1971).

A renovation in 1938 added steel, concrete columns and bricks, mostly concealed within the traditional fabric. The site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in December 2001 under criteria (i), (iii), (iv) and (vi); the property covers 26.8 ha (66 acres).

Construction

The building is round in plan and roughly 31 m (102 ft) in circumference and 7.5 m (25 ft) high. Its thatch rests on structural rings of palm fronds; one widely cited account counts 52 rings, matching the 52 traditional clans of the Baganda. The floor is laid with lemongrass and palm-leaf mats, and bark cloth hangs inside, including a curtain that screens the tombs. Thatching at Kasubi is a hereditary specialism of the Ngeye clan, while bark cloth comes from the Ngo clan.

The 2010 fire and rebuilding

On the evening of 16 March 2010 a fire largely destroyed the main buildings. The inner sanctum was reported protected and the royal remains intact. In July 2010 the World Heritage Committee placed the site on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Reconstruction, led by the Ugandan authorities with UNESCO, started in 2014. It was financed partly by a crowd-funding campaign called Etofaali and by the government of Japan. The rebuilt Muzibu Azaala Mpanga was completed in the summer of 2023. On 12 September 2023, at its session in Riyadh, the World Heritage Committee removed the site from the Danger List, noting a new fire-fighting system and volunteer fire-fighters trained from the local community.

Significance for roofing

Kasubi shows the limits and strengths of large thatched structures: a grass dome of this size gives a cool, quiet interior and can be built with local skills, but it is exposed to fire and needs regular renewal by trained thatchers. The rebuilding kept traditional materials and clan roles while adding a modern fire-fighting system.

Sources and gaps

Exact diameter and thatch thickness, the species of grass used, and the cause of the 2010 fire: published information is limited.