Al-Sahili

The historian's myth of architectural technology transfer from North Africa

Bibliographic Data

ID14769640
AuthorsSuzan B Aradeon (corresponding author)
Year1989
Volume59
Issue1
Pages99-131
Publication date1989-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal des africanistes (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0399-0346 • E-ISSN: 1957-7850
PublisherPERSEE Program (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.3406/jafr.1989.2279
OpenAlexW2032042400
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited1

Al-Sahili: the historians' myth of architectural technology transfer. Scholars, architects and historians have used references to al-Sahili, an Andalusian brought back from Mecca by Mansa Musa in the early 14th century, to flesh out the history of medieval West African architecture. Historical evidence, however, undermines the myth of al-Sahili's influence. Not only were North African traders and clerics already settled in the region before his arrival, but also the introduction of Muslim settlements and mosques, as well as the pilgrimages by West African rulers, belie assertions that he initiated Sudaneses architecture. Features of West African mosque styles derive more from Saharan mosques and traditional African architecture and religions than from the monumental mosques of Spain or North Africa

Ancient history · Archaeology · Human settlement · Mythology · African Studies and Geopolitics · Classics · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · Historical and Architectural Studies · History · Architecture

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