Book Traces Islam’s Architectural Footprint Across Sub-Saharan Africa

Although one-third of the world’s Muslim population can be found in Africa, sub-Saharan architecture, let alone places of worship, has remained overlooked even when mosques south of the Sahara reflect the mosaics of interactions that have shaped Islamic and African civilizations. So, Stéphane Pradines, a professor of Islamic art and architecture at London’s Aga Khan University, focuses on three significant regions in the 1,000 years before European domination: West Africa’s Niger valley, the Horn of Africa, and the Nile valleys and East Africa’s Indian Ocean coast. Guided around nearly 300 sites, we come to appreciate the architectural vision and technical skill, and the plural nature of faith and tradition among diverse Muslim communities across the continent. Historical gems range from the mud-brick structures dominating the skylines of Djenne, Koro, Mopti and Timbuktu in Mali to the coral limestone ruins of the Swahili mosques on the island of Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania. Pradines tantalizes with concise accounts of the archeological excavations along the Niger valleys of West Africa, for what they reveal for some of Africa’s forgotten empires. A historical chart, an inventory of sites and glossaries round out the book. Crammed with details, maps, plans and photographs, Historic Mosques in Sub-Saharan Africa is equally at home on the coffee table or on the scholarly bookshelf.