Landmark Africa
Kasubi Tombs
The Kasubi Tombs are on a hill in Kampala, Uganda. The main building is a huge round house with a grass roof that almost reaches the ground!
The Kasubi Tombs stand on Kasubi hill in Kampala, Uganda. The main building, a huge round house with a domed roof of thatch, was built in 1882 as a palace for the Kabaka, the king of Buganda, and became the burial place of four kings. After a fire in 2010 it was rebuilt, and the work was finished in 2023.
The Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi cover 26.8 ha of Kasubi hill in Kampala. At the hilltop stands the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga, built in 1882 as the Kabakas' palace and made a royal burial ground in 1884; circular and domed, it is raised from wooden poles, spear grass, reeds and wattle. A World Heritage Site since 2001, it was rebuilt after a 2010 fire, with the reconstruction completed in 2023.
Photo: not not phil from SF, CA, US, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover the Kasubi Tombs
The Kasubi Tombs are in Kampala, a city in Uganda. Uganda is a country in Africa.
The main building is round, with a giant roof made of grass.
The Kasubi Tombs stand on Kasubi hill, inside the city of Kampala in Uganda. It is the burial ground of kings of Buganda, a kingdom whose kings are called Kabakas.
The main building on the hilltop is called the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga. It is round and topped by a dome, and four Kabakas are buried inside.
UNESCO describes the Tombs of Buganda Kings as a site of 26.8 ha on Kasubi hillside within Kampala City, its boundary marked by traditional bark cloth trees. At its core, on the hilltop, stands the main tomb building, the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga, which UNESCO calls a masterpiece of the ensemble.
UNESCO calls the site's layout the best existing example of a Baganda palace and burial site: from the border of bark cloth trees, through the gatehouse and the main courtyard, to the large thatched building that houses the tombs of four Kabakas.
- Where
- Kasubi hill, Kampala, Uganda
- Main building
- built 1882 as a palace; royal burial ground from 1884
- Area
- 26.8 ha
- World Heritage
- inscribed 2001
From palace to royal tombs
Long ago, this big round house was a palace for a king.
Later, it became the place where kings were buried.
The main building was built in 1882 as a palace for the Kabaka of Buganda. Two years later, in 1884, it became a royal burial ground, and four Kabakas now lie inside.
UNESCO says a tomb building has stood on the site since the 1200s, and that this style of building was developed by the Buganda Kingdom over many centuries.
UNESCO says a tomb building has existed here since the 13th century. The latest one was the former palace of the Kabakas of Buganda, built in 1882 and converted into the royal burial ground in 1884; four royal tombs lie within the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga.
The site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2001. UNESCO describes the main building as an exceptional surviving example of an architectural style developed by the Buganda Kingdom since the 13th century.
A house of poles, grass and reeds
The building is made from plants! Wooden poles, grass and reeds hold it up.
The thick grass roof is called thatch.
The Muzibu Azaala Mpanga is built from plant materials: wooden poles, spear grass, reeds and wattle, a woven frame of sticks. Its grass roof rests on rings made of palm-tree fronds.
Inside, long wooden poles are wrapped in bark cloth, a cloth made from tree bark.
UNESCO calls the circular, domed main building a major architectural achievement raised with vegetal materials: wooden poles, spear grass, reeds and wattle. Its unusual scale and outstanding details are, in UNESCO's words, a masterpiece of form and craftsmanship.
The practice of resting the grass-thatched roof on structural rings of palm-tree fronds is still maintained, as are interior elements such as the long wooden poles wrapped in bark cloth decoration.
Rebuilt by skilled hands
In 2010, a fire burned the main building. People worked together to build it again.
In 2023, the new building was finished!
In 2010, a fire destroyed the main building. Because the old building skills were still alive, people were able to rebuild it the traditional way. The reconstruction was finished in the summer of 2023.
The guardian's house was restored too, and a fire-fighting system was added, with volunteer firefighters trained from the local community.
UNESCO reports that a fire destroyed the main building in 2010, and that the traditions of building in poles, spear grass, reeds and wattle were still vibrant enough to allow it to be recreated. The reconstruction, led by the Ugandan authorities with UNESCO, was completed in the summer of 2023.
The World Heritage Committee praised the rebuilt Muzibu Azaala Mpanga, the restored guardian's house (the Bujjabukala), a new fire-fighting system and the training of volunteer firefighters from the community, and in 2023 removed the site from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
- Reconstruction
- completed in summer 2023
- Building materials
- wooden poles, spear grass, reeds and wattle
- Royal tombs inside
- 4
The great round house
In this photo, the great grass roof almost touches the ground. Can you find the door in the middle?
This photo was taken on 13 July 2007, before the fire, so it shows the building that was later rebuilt. You can see the huge thatched roof, the wide doorway with wooden poles, and a stone path leading to it.
A fence stands at each side, and trees grow behind.
The photograph (13 July 2007, from Flickr, license confirmed by Commons' review) shows the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga before the 2010 fire: the steep dome of thatch reaching almost to the ground, the wide entrance with its row of wooden poles, the paved path across the bare courtyard and fences at the sides.
UNESCO says most of the wider site is farmland, cultivated using traditional methods.
Amazing facts
-
This giant building is made from wood, grass and reeds!
The main building is made from wooden poles, spear grass, reeds and wattle, and its roof rests on rings of palm fronds.
UNESCO calls the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga a major architectural achievement raised with vegetal materials: wooden poles, spear grass, reeds and wattle.
-
Special trees mark the edge of the site!
The edge of the site is marked by traditional bark cloth trees, and the line matches the boundary of 1882.
The boundary is marked with traditional bark cloth trees (Ficus) and coincides with the 1882 traditional boundary, UNESCO notes.
-
Local volunteers learned to fight fires to protect the rebuilt house!
After the rebuilding, a fire-fighting system was added and volunteer firefighters from the local community were trained.
The World Heritage Committee praised a sophisticated new fire-fighting system and the training of volunteer firefighters from the local community.
Words to know
- thatch
- a roof covering made of dried grass, reeds or straw
- Kabaka
- the title of the king of Buganda
- wattle
- sticks or branches woven together to make walls or fences
- bark cloth
- a cloth made by beating the inner bark of a tree
- dome
- a rounded roof shaped like half a ball
- reconstruction
- building something again after it was damaged or destroyed
Discovery challenge
-
What is the roof of the big round house made of?
What is the roof of the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga made of?
What covers the main building's dome, resting on rings of palm fronds?
- Grass thatch
- Metal sheets
- Glass
Show the answer
Grass thatch
Grass, called thatch!
Grass thatch.
Grass thatch.
-
Which country are the Kasubi Tombs in?
In which country are the Kasubi Tombs?
In which country's capital, Kampala, do the Tombs of Buganda Kings stand?
- Uganda
- Brazil
- Japan
Show the answer
Uganda
Uganda, in Africa!
Uganda.
Uganda.
-
What was the big round house first built as?
What was the main building built as in 1882?
What was the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga before it became a royal burial ground in 1884?
- A palace
- A school
- A market
Show the answer
A palace
A palace for a king!
A palace for the Kabaka.
The palace of the Kabakas of Buganda.
-
How many kings are buried in the big round house?
How many Kabakas are buried in the main building?
How many royal tombs lie within the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga?
- 4
- 1
- 40
Show the answer
4
Four kings!
Four Kabakas.
Four.
-
When was the new building finished after the fire?
In which year was the reconstruction of the main building completed?
In which year was the reconstruction completed and the site removed from the In Danger list?
- 2023
- 1882
- 2001
Show the answer
2023
In 2023!
2023, in the summer.
2023.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Describe how a large building can be made from plant materials such as poles, grass and reeds.
- Explain how traditional skills, passed on by people, made it possible to rebuild the main building.
- Find Kampala and Uganda on a map of Africa.
Recommended ages: 4 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- The building was rebuilt using old skills. Why is it important for older people to teach younger people how to build?
- What are the good and difficult things about building with grass and reeds?
- After the fire, a fire-fighting system was added. How do people keep buildings safe from fire?
Try at home or in class
- Make a small round hut from craft sticks and a roof of raffia or dried grass.
- Weave a small mat from paper strips to see how wattle is made.
Key vocabulary: thatch, Kabaka, wattle, bark cloth, dome, reconstruction
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi (World Heritage List) , UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- Uganda's Tombs of the Kings of Buganda at Kasubi removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger , UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- File:Kampala Kasubi Tombs.jpg , Wikimedia Commons
- UNESCO World Heritage List , UNESCO World Heritage Centre (Linked as a reference; site facts come from Wikidata)
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.