TATA SOMBA Architecture

The Tamberma people in Togo and the Somba people in Benin build fortified houses for defensive purposes called Tata Somba. The uniqueness of the Tata Somba architecture has been recognised by UNESCO as a tangible worls heritage since 2004.

The Somba people live in scattered settlements along the slope of Togo-Atacora highlands. They have no nucleated villages or town; rather they are dotted along the slopes of the mountain. Their basic form of the architecture is the castle-like fortress, circular in pattern, and linked together by curvilinear wall. The walls of the towers are closed towards the outside, except for little wall between them that forms a solid parapet wall. The round towers juts above the roof terrace. The granaries are positioned on top of the terrace and the only spaces with thatch roof while the other rooms have flat roofs.