Traditional house with gabled roof, near Iringa, Tanzania

"The Iringa construct rectangular buildings of wattle and daub which are subdivided internally by partitions. They can be freestanding or grouped to form two- three- or four-sided compounds, in which case sections of the inner wall facing the compound are sometimes omitted to form semi-enclosed shelters. Even when grouped like this the gabled roof form is retained and merely extended where necessary to cover the intersection. Iringa roof construction is an interesting transition between the steepy-pitched, thatched, ridge-pole roofs found in the wet areas of Malawi and the domed, mud-covered huts of the Masai's dry country which have walls that curve over in a continuous arc to form the roof." [Oliver P., 1998: Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World. The Sub-Saharan Africa. Cambridge University Press]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Life magazine and traveled to Africa from January 8, 1947 to end of June 1947.