 Manatsara was said to be the most well constructed of the many houses because it was built using "ambora" ("Tambourissa parrifolia"), an extremely durable and rot-resistant indigenous hardwood, rather than a traditional wood called "hazomena" ("Weinmannia rutenbergii").According to oral history, Manatsara was treasured by Andrianampoinimerina and the house was quite old but still well preserved in the mid-19th century when Queen Ranavalona I decided to recover its interior walls with wood taken from Sihanaka country.Andrianampoinimerina's many wives and other family members occupied the majority of the buildings, most notably Mahitsielafanjaka ("That Which is Upright Rules Long", also called Mahitsy), the abode of wife Rabodonizimirabalahy, where the "sampy" (royal idol) called Manjakatsiroa was kept.