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Periodical article |
Title: | Research Notes: Monumental Tomb Architecture of the Medieval Swahili Coast |
Author: | Gensheimer, T.R. |
Year: | 2012 |
Periodical: | Buildings & Landscapes: Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum |
Volume: | 19 |
Issue: | 1 |
Pages: | 107-114 |
Geographic term: | Kenya |
Discipline: | Anthropology & Ethnology |
Subjects: | Architecture Tombs |
Abstract: | For a thousand years, the Swahili have been at the crossroads of trade and cultural exchange between the people of Western Asia and those of the East African continent, resulting in significant cultural and architectural influences. With the adoption of Islam, new building types were introduced to the medieval East African coast, most notably that of monumental tombs. Although influenced by vernacular tomb designs found throughout the Islamic world, Swahili monumental tombs form a unique and enigmatic tradition, particularly in the development of pillar tomb forms. The distinctive nature of Swahili monumental tomb architecture and the rituals associated with their use fulfill both indigenous African and Islamic religious practices found throughout the medieval period. (Journal Abstract). |