Travel Guide Garoumele

The ruins of the old village are 24 km south-west of the city, and above all, the town of a citadel, built at the peak of the Kanem-Bornou empire. Searching shards can be discovered, but most materials, including terracotta bricks, have been used to build buildings used by colonial administration, such as the current N'Guigmi prefecture. This ancient city would have flourished at the end of the th century under Mai Ali says Ali Ghazi, «the warrior», the sovereign of the Bornou. According to tradition, he remained seven years in Garoumélé, inspiring a vast terracotta palace on 25 hectares and housing 6 000 inhabitants. When the ruler returned to the Bornou, the citadel was abandoned.