# Sahelian Earthen Roofs

> Flat or slightly domed roofs of timber and mud used across the Sudano-Sahelian belt of West Africa, from Mali to northern Nigeria.

- URL: https://roof.wiki/sahelian-earthen-roofs/
- Topic: Roofing Around the World
- Also known as: Banco roof; Mud roof; Sudano-Sahelian roof
- Regions: Africa
- First published: 2026-11-02 · Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
- Cite as: "Sahelian Earthen Roofs." roof.wiki. https://roof.wiki/sahelian-earthen-roofs/

## Key facts

- **Region:** Sudano-Sahelian West Africa
- **Technique:** Banco (wet earth, sun-dried bricks)
- **Roof form:** Flat or slightly domed, earth on timber
- **Maintenance:** Regular communal replastering

Across the Sudano-Sahelian belt of West Africa, from Senegal and Mali through Burkina Faso and Niger to northern Nigeria, the traditional roof of town houses, granaries and mosques is made of earth laid on timber. These roofs are flat or slightly domed and are part of an architecture in which walls, roofs and decoration are all formed from mud.

## Construction

The Sudano-Sahelian building technique is known as *banco*: wet earth, often mixed with organic material, is cast into rectangular sun-dried bricks or applied as plaster. For a roof:

1. Timber members span between walls. The availability of wood shapes the design; the eastern Hausa style uses much more timber than the western style.
2. Smaller sticks, mats or palm ribs are laid across them.
3. Layers of earth are spread and compacted on top, sloped toward waterspouts.

Mosque prayer halls use rows of pillars or walls to carry flat or slightly domed roofs of wood and mud. The Great Mosque of Zaria in Nigeria uses shallow domes carried on parabolic arches.

## Water and maintenance

Earth roofs perform well in the long dry season but are vulnerable during the short, intense rainy season. Projecting spouts, often ceramic or timber, throw water away from walls. Wooden stakes (*toron*) built into walls in the western style serve as scaffolding for regular replastering, which is carried out with community help.

## Comfort

Thick earth roofs and walls store heat during the day and release it at night, smoothing the large daily temperature swings of the Sahel.

## Change

Corrugated metal roofs have spread widely because they are fast to build and need little upkeep, but they are hot and depend on imported materials. Earth-only alternatives such as the Nubian vault, promoted in the region since 2000, aim to keep the thermal benefits of earth while avoiding scarce timber.

## Heritage

Djenné and Timbuktu in Mali and Agadez in Niger are major heritage centres of the tradition, each with earthen mosques and houses that still depend on routine maintenance to survive.

## Sources

1. Sudano-Sahelian architecture — Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudano-Sahelian_architecture
2. Nubian vault — Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nubian_vault