Roofing in Djibouti

Djibouti is a small, hot and arid country on the Gulf of Aden, home mainly to Afar people in the north and Issa Somali people in the south, with overlap in central areas including Djibouti City. Both groups historically lived as pastoral nomads, and their traditional houses are light, portable shelters whose roof and walls are a single woven skin.

Climate and hazards

Djibouti is hot and dry for most of the year. Strong winds are a design concern: the curved, low profile of traditional huts reduces wind resistance.

Roofing history and traditional roofs

• Afar danas: round huts of bent acacia branches covered with mats woven from palm leaves or grass. Research on Afar architecture in neighbouring Ethiopia describes these flexible shelters of twigs and woven mats as designed to be moved by camel.
• Somali aqal: a dome-shaped hut with a collapsible frame of sticks covered with mats (see Aqal).
• Permanent buildings: settlements and mosques used coral stone, mud brick or locally quarried limestone.

In the colonial period, buildings in Djibouti City adopted Mediterranean and Moorish-inspired styles adapted to the climate, with arcades, verandas and courtyards, thick masonry walls, tall ceilings and white paint to reduce heat absorption.

As Afar communities settle, many build permanent houses with wooden frames plastered with clay, a technique described as unsustainable in an arid region where trees are scarce.

Local roofing terms

• danas (Afar): round hut of branches and mats.
• aqal (Somali): dome-shaped portable hut.

Sources and gaps

No household survey or census table on roof materials for Djibouti was found in published sources. No information on domestic roofing manufacturers was found.

Published sources are limited. The Afar term daboyta, sometimes given for the Afar hut: published information is limited. Roof construction of colonial buildings, modern housing materials and building regulation were not documented in published sources.