He expected to see a thatch roof, but the blue slate was just as acceptable.

With regular maintenance, a thatch roof can last hundreds of years.

Then his men put a torch to the thatch roof of every cabin before they rode away.

And he had water, as well, since the thatch roof was leaking badly in several places.

The thatch roof and most of the shutters were gone, but it was otherwise intact.

Tables were set in the sand, under a thatch roof.

As Spoorbek left the house he took three fire matches and put them into the thatch roof above the door entrance.

Most people live in traditional mud houses with thatch roofs.

The shrine was a small wooden structure with a moss-covered thatch roof.

"For a split second there was a complete silence, but then we started seeing the debris from the thatch roof," she said.