Verified12.3500° N · 14.1833° E · 285 m
Ngala / Ndufu Mound (Chad Basin)
Ngala · Ndufu · Ndufu mound
Iron Age to Kanem-Bornu·Chad Basin·🇳🇬 Borno State, Lake Chad margin, Ngala district, Nigeria
About
About Ngala / Ndufu Mound (Chad Basin)
Firki classic mound 5 m with cattle-trail causeways visible on SAR; compound enclosures vs kraals detected by magnetometry.
This entry is brief — help us grow it. Suggest a source or correction.
Why it mattersSignificant regional centre illustrating cultural transition.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology refinement
- 02Function of enclosures
Theories
- 01Trade corridor model
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 450 BCE–1700 CE mound reoccupations
- Period
- Iron Age to Kanem-Bornu
- Culture
- Chad Basin
- Purpose
- Regional centre / fortified town and trade node
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
450 BCE–1700 CE mound reoccupations
Initial construction
c. 1226 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
12.3500° N · 14.1833° E · 285 m · 2 mapped features
Ndufu Central Mound
moundCompound mound 100×80 m, 5 m high
12.3503° N · 14.1836° ECattle Causeway
earthworkTrampled corridor 300 m ×10 m
12.3497° N · 14.1829° E