The conical house
A pyramid of thatch.
Ssemmanda will — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Samson Ssemakadde — CC0 · Samson Ssemakadde — CC0 · Z thomas — CC BY 4.0
The Kasubi Tombs are a royal site on a hill in Kampala, holding the graves of four kabakas, the kings of Buganda, and members of the royal family. The main feature is a huge conical thatched building, which UNESCO described as among the most remarkable in sub-Saharan Africa made purely from plant materials. It has been a World Heritage Site since 2001. Muteesa I, the 35th Kabaka, built this palace in 1882, and it became a royal burial ground on his death in 1884. Mwanga II, Daudi Chwa II and Edward Muteesa II are also buried here. In March 2010 a fire destroyed most of the main buildings. Rebuilding began in 2014 with a public campaign and support from Japan, and the site came off the danger list in 2023. From outside the building looks like a great pyramid of brown thatch, entered through a low doorway. Inside, rings of bound reeds spiral up towards the peak, carried on timber poles wrapped in red bark. Around it stand smaller thatched houses and a red earth yard, along with farmland still worked in traditional ways. It is about 5 km from the city centre and about 2.3 km from the Uganda National Mosque in a straight line. The place remains sacred to the Ganda people, so dress modestly. You may be asked to remove your shoes, and women may be asked to wear a long wrap. Ask before taking photos inside.
A pyramid of thatch.
Rings of reed.
Red earth and thatch.
Kasubi Hill, north-west of central Kampala, Uganda
Yes, after the 2010 fire, rebuilding began in 2014 and it left the danger list in 2023.
Yes, it is sacred, so modest dress is expected, and you may be asked to remove your shoes.