Oudjila Royal Palace

Oudjila sits in the foothills of the Mandara mountains north of Mora, and the compound of its Podokwo chief is not a palace in the European sense but a settlement in itself: dozens of round mud huts with conical thatched roofs, granaries, cooking spaces and animal pens, linked by low walls and narrow passages into a single interconnected structure built up over generations on a rocky slope. The arrangement of it reflects the household and its organisation, with separate spaces for each wife, for grain, for animals and for ceremony. Guides from the community take visitors through it. The building technique is the same used across the Mandara, in mud, stone and thatch.

What you actually see

• A compound of linked huts - dozens of structures built as one settlement.
• Granaries and animal pens - the working parts of the household.
• Narrow passages between walls - the internal arrangement of the compound.
• Mud, stone and thatch construction - the building tradition of the Mandara.

When to go

The cool dry months of November to February. Half a day from Mora. A guide from the community is required and fees are agreed on arrival.

Honest expectations

Restrictions on movement in the Far North have been in place for security reasons in recent years; confirm the current official position and take local advice before going. This is a lived-in household and photography needs permission and usually payment.

Nearby

Mora is south; the Mandara mountains rise west.