Islamic Architecture in Pre-colonial Africa

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of Islamic architecture in pre-colonial Muslim societies in Africa and construes the monuments of Islamic architecture as “living artifacts” in the context of their social surroundings, be it as localized nodes in interpersonal networks, as the stage for negotiations of influence and authority, or as symbolic locales of meaning connected with a particular style, building or component. Rather than follow the established division of Islamic architecture “as such” in North of Africa and “local deviations” in Sudanic African contexts, the chapter attempts to focus on the common visions of society, history, and meaning informing the communal architecture constructed by Muslim societies in pre-colonial Africa.