Individual Nuba communities vary in size. Some groups live in smaller villages with only 1000 inhabitants. Other groups have combined with the neighboring villages, forming communities of up to 50,000. A typical Nuba home is made of either stone or plaster-covered thatch. Each home has a kitchen, sleeping quarters, and a granary.
Some houses also have special rooms where the young unmarried girls of the neighborhood sleep.
Village communities are organized by clans or extended family sections. The authority of the village is left in the hands of the clan elders. Each community usually has a large, stone mosque. Most villages also have Islamic schools where young boys and girls are sent to study the Koran. Most of the Nuba groups are completely Muslim and allow Islamic law to shape their daily lives.