# Roofing in Sudan

> Sudan's roofs range from Nubian mud-brick vaults and flat clay roofs to thatched round huts; thatch, local earth roofs and metal sheet dominate today.

- URL: https://roof.wiki/roofing-in-sudan/
- Topic: Roofing Around the World
- Also known as: Sudanese roofing; roofing in Sudan
- Regions: Africa, Middle East
- First published: 2026-11-02 · Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
- Cite as: "Roofing in Sudan." roof.wiki. https://roof.wiki/roofing-in-sudan/

## Key facts

- **Most common roof (MICS 2014 file, unweighted):** Thatch / palm leaf, 42.7%
- **Metal roofs (same file):** 20.7%
- **Traditional forms:** Flat clay roofs, Nubian vaults, thatched round huts
- **Climate driver:** Desert heat in the north; heavy rains in the south

Sudan spans the Nile valley of ancient Nubia, the Sahara in the north and savanna to the south and west. Its roofs reflect that range: the Nubian vault, one of Africa's oldest earth-roofing techniques, comes from the northern Nile; flat roofs of dried clay cover the box-houses of towns such as Omdurman; and thatched conical roofs top round huts further south. Survey data show thatch, local earth roofs and metal sheet as the main roof materials today.

## Climate and hazards

The north is hot desert, where flat earth roofs work well. Rainfall increases southward, and heavy rains there make sloping grass roofs necessary. Heat, dust storms and seasonal downpours are the main roof loads.

## Roofing history

**Prehistory and Kush.** Round huts are recorded in the Butana Group settlements of eastern Sudan from around 4000 BC. The kingdom of Kush built very large mud-brick temples known as *deffufa*, and Kushite dwellings were of mud brick with wood and stone floors.

**Medieval and Islamic periods.** Christian Nubian kingdoms (c. 500-1500 AD) built churches, monasteries and palaces, including Faras Cathedral. Under Turco-Egyptian rule (1821-1885), domed tombs (*qubba*) were built for Ottoman officials in Khartoum.

**The box-house.** The traditional Sudanese box-house has a flat roof of dried clay, sun-dried mud, brick or cow-dung plaster (*zibala*), with timber used only for roofs, doors and windows. The box-house in Omdurman built under the Khalifa Abdallahi (1885-1898) is cited as the most complete surviving example.

**Nubian vault.** In Nubia, along the Nile in southern Egypt and northern Sudan, masons built barrel vaults of sun-dried brick without formwork. The technique was revived in Egypt by Hassan Fathy in the 1940s and has been promoted in the Sahel since 2000 (see Nubian vault).

**20th century.** In Khartoum, government buildings along Nile Street were built in European styles between 1900 and 1912. The Austrian architect Peter Muller, who worked in Khartoum until 1965, introduced free-standing roof shading in place of roof gardens.

## Traditional and vernacular roofs

- **Flat clay roofs** on box-houses (see Mud roof and Flat roof).
- **Nubian vaults and domes** in the northern Nile valley.
- **Conical thatched roofs** on round huts of dried mud, grass, stalks and poles, widespread in the south (see Tukul).
- **Tents**: nomadic peoples such as the Beja and Baggara often live in tents.
- **Qubba**: masonry domes over saints' and rulers' tombs.

## Roofing today

The Sudan Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2014 recorded the main roof material for about 16,800 households. Unweighted shares of sampled households (not official estimates) were:

| Main roof material | Share of sampled households |
|---|---|
| Thatch / palm leaf | 42.7% |
| "Local roof" | 25.0% |
| Metal | 20.7% |
| Cement | 3.6% |
| Other | 2.5% |
| Rustic mat | 1.6% |
| Wood | 1.4% |

The codebook does not define the "local roof" category, which accounts for a quarter of cases. Cement roofs were recorded for under 4% of cases.

## Notable roofs

- **Omdurman box-house** of the Khalifa's period (1885-1898): cited as the most complete example of the flat-roofed box-house.
- **Turco-Egyptian qubba tombs**, Baladiya Street, Khartoum.
- **Al-Nilin Mosque, Omdurman** (mid-1970s): a modern mosque with a distinctive dome.

## Local roofing terms

- **zibala**: cow-dung plaster used on roofs.
- **qubba**: domed tomb.

## Sources and gaps

No national roofing code was found in published sources. No information on domestic roofing manufacturers was found.

Survey percentages are unweighted counts from one survey sample. Construction details of Nubian village roofs in Sudan, and the effects of conflict since 2023 on housing: published information is limited.

## Sources

1. Architecture of Sudan — Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Sudan
2. Sudan Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2014: main material of roof (HC4) — World Bank Microdata Library. https://microdata.worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/2656/variable/F4/V357?name=HC4
3. Tukul — Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/tukul