Mousgoum Dome Houses of Pouss

The Mousgoum of the Logone floodplain built houses unlike anything else in Africa: a tall dome raised in mud without any frame, built up in courses by hand from the inside, its surface worked into raised ribs that both strengthen the shell and give the builder footholds while working, ending in an opening at the apex for smoke and light. They were largely abandoned during the twentieth century in favour of rectangular houses with metal roofs, and the technique came close to being lost. At Pouss and a few other villages examples have been rebuilt and maintained, some by builders who learned from the last generation to work in the form, and they can be visited.

Highlights

• Mud domes built without a frame - shells raised course by course.
• Raised surface ribs - the strengthening pattern used as footholds.
• The apex opening - the hole for smoke and light at the top.
• A technique brought back - houses rebuilt by the last builders to know it.

When to go

November to February, the cool dry season, when the floodplain roads are usable. Half a day. A guide from the village is needed and fees are agreed locally.

Before you go

Few original examples survive and several are reconstructions. Photography needs permission and payment.

Nearby

Maga is south; the Chad border lies east across the Logone.