Meeting Ground: Mosques in the Horn of Africa During the Medieval Period

This paper approaches the medieval urban mosques of the Horn of Africa from an

archaeological perspective, describing and systematizing their material characteristics in

order to determine the existence of different architectural traditions in the region. It proposes

the existence of several of these traditions throughout the region, linked to specific

historical, political, economic and cultural dynamics; and suggests that the analysis of

these traditions can improve our understanding of complex processes such as the arrival

of Islam to the Horn of Africa or the interactions between different communities and

agents in the region. It also discusses the role of mosques as a physical space which

could be acknowledged by groups with very different lifestyles, leading to shared religious

but also social and political identities. Finally, it addresses the study of medieval

mosques in nomadic communities, whose conversion to Islam took place later than expected

and for whom these buildings became not just a religious space, but a key part of

their symbolic landscape.

Islamic archaeology – Horn of Africa – Medieval period – Mosques –. Nomads.