Old Songo

The compounds of Old Songo are usually relatively small and crowded, in contrast to the compounds in New Songo. Building space in the compounds of the older part of the village has been filled over time, with young families constructing their houses in the husband’s father’s compound. The houses in the old part of Songo are relatively low (1.75-2.50m) and their floors are sunk in some decimeters to ease access to the roof. The houses of Old Songo are entirely constructed of mud brick apart from a foundation layer of dry stone. The living rooms of older houses are entered directly and then lead on to a smaller room in the back, in many houses in New Songo the opposite subdivision of space is noticeable.