Architecture of africa

[object Object],Architecture of Africa

[object Object],[object Object],Architecture of Africa

[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Early architecture

[object Object],Early architecture Egypt's achievements in architecture were varied from temples, enclosed cities, canals, and dams. Nubia Nubian Pyramids at Meroe

Early architecture When the Assyrians invaded Egypt, in 671 BC, Kush , as the kingdom was known, became an independent state until 591 BC when the Egyptians under Psamtik II invaded Kush and sacked and burned Napata. Little is left today of the original city, but excavations have brought to light some thirteen temples and three palaces. In 350 BCE, partially in response to Egyptian pressure, the kingdom’s capital was moved to further south to Meroë , and the city became an important iron producing center. Around 300 BC, the monarchs began to be buried there. The city - on the east bank of the Nile about 6 km northeast of the Kabushiya station near Shendi, Sudan, ca. 200 km north-east of Khartoum - is marked by over two hundred pyramids of different sizes in three groups. The pyramids were built of sandstone, and ranged from 10 to 30 m in height. Around AD 350 the area was invaded by the Ethiopian kingdom of Aksum and the kingdom collapsed. [1]

Early architecture ,[object Object],The ruin of the temple at Yeha, Tigray region, Ethiopia.

Early architecture ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

Early architecture ,[object Object],Thousands of tombs were left by Berbers that were pre-Christian in origin and whose architecture was unique to north-west Africa. The most famous was Tomb of the Christian Woman in Western Algeria. This structure contains column domed and spiraling pathways that lead to a single chamber.

Early architecture ,[object Object],The oldest surviving archaeological settlements in West Africa and the oldest all stone base settlement south of the Sahara. It is thought to have been built by Soninke people and is thought to be the precursor of the Ghana empire. It was being settled around 2000 B.C. One finds well laid out streets and fortified compounds all made out of skilled stone masonry. In all, there were 400 settlements.

Medieval Architecture ,[object Object],The Islamic conquest of North Africa saw Islamic architecture develop in the region, including such famous structures as the Cairo Citadel . Architecture in Fes , Morocco

Medieval Architecture ,[object Object],Islamic merchants played a vital role in the Western Sahel region since the Kingdom of Ghana . Kanem-Bornu's capital city Birni N'Gazargamu, may have have had a population of 200,000. It had four mosque which could hold up to 12,000 worshippers. It was surrounded by a 25 foot wall and more than 1 mile in circumference. Many large streets extended from the esplanade and connected to 660 roads. The main building and structure were built with red brick. Other buildings were built with straw and adobe. The Great Mosque of Djenné in Mali , first built in the 13th century and reconstructed in 1906–1909, is the largest clay building in the world.

Medieval Architecture ,[object Object],Six important Hausa city states existed Kano, Katsina, Daura, Gobir, Zazzau, and Biram. Kano was the most important.The city was surrounded by a wall of reinforced ramparts of stone and bricks. Kano contained a citadel near which the royal class resided. Individual residence was separated by "earthen" wall. The higher the status of the resident the more elaborate the wall. The entranceway was mazelike to seclude women. Inside near the entrance were the abode of unmarried women. Furtherdown down were slave quarters. At Kumbi Saleh , locals lived in domed-shaped dwellings in the king's section of the city, surrounded by a great enclosure. Traders lived in stone houses in a section which possessed 12 beautiful mosques (as described by al-bakri ), one centered on Friday prayer . [2] The king is said to have owned several mansions, one of which was sixty-six feet long, forty-two feet wide, contained seven rooms, was two stories high, and had a staircase; with the walls and chambers filled with sculpture and painting. [3] Sahelian architecture initially grew from the two cities of Djenné and Timbuktu . The Sankore Mosque in Timbuktu , constructed from mud on timber, was similar in style to the Great Mosque of Djenné . The rise of kingdoms in the West African coastal region produced architecture which drew on indigenous traditions, utilizing wood. The famed Benin City , destroyed by the Punitive Expedition , was a large complex of homes in coursed mud, with hipped roofs of shingles or palm leaves. The Palace had a sequence of ceremonial rooms, and was decorated with brass plaques

Medieval Architecture ,[object Object],Drawing of Benin City made by an English officer, 1897 Ashanti architecture is perhaps best known from the reconstruction at Kumasi . Its key features are courtyard -based buildings, and walls with striking reliefs in mud plaster brightly painted. An example of a shrine can be seen at Bawjwiasi in Ghana . Four rectangular rooms, constructed from wattle and daub , lie around a courtyard . Animal designs mark the walls, and palm leaves cut to tiered shape provide the roof. The Yoruba surrounded their settlements with massive mud walls . Their buildings had a similar plan to the Ashanti shrines, but with verandahs around the court. The walls were of puddled mud and palm oil . The largest Wall edifice in Africa is Sungbo's Eredo . It comprises of sprawling mud walls and valley's that surrounded the town of Ijebu-Ode in Ogun state. Sungbo's Eredo is the largest monument in Africa, larger than the Great Pyramid or Great Zimbabwe .

Medieval Architecture ,[object Object],Nubia (Christian and Islamic) Swahili States Farther south, increased trade (namely with Arab merchants) and the development of ports saw the birth of Swahili architecture . Developed from an outgrowth of indigenous Bantu settlements [4] , one of the earliest examples is the Palace of Husuni Kubwa lying west of Kilwa , built about 1245. As with many other early Swahili buildings, coral was the main construction material, and even the roof was constructed by attaching coral to timbers. Contrastingly, the palace at Kilwa was a two-story tower, in a walled enclosure. Other notable structures from the period include the pillar tombs as Malindi and Mnarani in Kenya , and elsewhere, originally built from coral but later from stone. Later examples include Zanzibar 's Stone Town , with its famous carved doors, and the Great Mosque of Kilwa .

Medieval Architecture ,[object Object],Aksumite Bete Medhane Alem, Lalibela, the largest monolithic church in the world. Throughout the medieval period, Aksumite architecture and influences and its monolithic tradition persisted, with its influence strongest in the early medieval (Late Aksumite) and Zagwe periods (when the churches of Lalibela were carved). Throughout the medieval period, and especially during the 10th-12th centuries, churches were hewn out of rock throughout Ethiopia, especially during the northernmost region of Tigray , which was the heart of the Aksumite Empire. However, rock-hewn churches have been found as far south as Adadi Maryam (15th c.), about 100km south of Addis Abeba . The most famous example of Ethiopian rock-hewn architecture are the 11 monolithic churches of Lalibela, carved out of the red volcanic tuff found around the town. Though later medieval hagiographies attribute all 11 structures to the eponymous king Lalibela (the town was called Roha and Adefa before his reign), new evidence indicates that they may have been built separately over a period of a few centuries, with only a few of the more recent churches having been built under his reign. Archaeologist and Ethiopisant David Phillipson postulates, for instance, that Bete Gebriel-Rufa'el was actually built in the very early medieval period, some time between 600 and 800 A.D., originally as a fortress but was later turned into a church.

Medieval Architecture ,[object Object],Mbanza Congo was the capital of the Kingdom of Kongo with a population of 30,000 plus. It sat on a cliff with river below and forested valley. The King's dwelling was describe as a mile and half enclosure with walled pathways, courtyard, gardens, decorated huts, and palisades. One early explorer described it in terms of a Cretan labyrinth. The Eastern Lunda dwelling of the Kacembe(king) was describe as containing fenced roads, a mile long. The enclosed walls were made of grass, 12 to 13 span in height. The enclosed roads lead to a rectangular hut openned on the west side. In the center was a wooden base with a statue on top about 3 span.

Medieval Architecture ,[object Object],Burundi never had a fix capital. The closest thing was a royal hill, when the king moved, the location became the capital called the insago. The compound itself was enclosed inside a high fence. The compount had two entrance. One was for herders and herds. The other was to the royal palace. This palace was surrounded by a fence. The royal palace had three royal courtyard. Each serve a particular function one for herders, a sanctuary, kitchen and granary. Nyanza was a royal capital of Rwanda. The king's residence the Ibwame was built on a hill. The surrounding hills were occupied by permanent or temporary dwellings. These dwellings were round huts surrounded by big yards and high hedge to separate compounds. The Rugo the royal compund was made of circular reed fence around thatched houses. The houses were carpeted with mats and had a clay hearth in the center for the king, his wife, and entourage. The royal house was close to 200-100 yards. It looked like a huge maze of connected huts and granaries. It had one entrance that lead to a large public square called the karubanda.

Medieval Architecture ,[object Object],The capital of the Kuba Kingdom was surrounded by a 40 inch high fence. Inside the fence were roads, a walled royal palace, urban buildings. The palace was rectangular and in the center of the city. The capital(kibuga)of the Buganda constantly change from hill to hill a description of the Kibuga of Buganda at Mengo Hills. The capital was divided into quarters corresponding to provinces. Each chief built a dwelling corresponding to provinces. Each chief built a dwelling for wife, slaves, dependents, and visitors. The city was a mile and half wide. Large plots of land was available for planting bananas and fruits. Roads were wide and well maintained. The Marave people built bridges called Uraro due to changing river depth. These bridges were made out of bamboo. Bamboos were placed parallel to each other and tied together by bark(maruze). One end of the bridge would be tied to an existing tree. The bridge would curve downward 80 spans when entering. A bamboo on top would serve as a balustrade.

Medieval Architecture ,[object Object],Great Zimbabwe is the largest medieval city in sub-Saharan Africa. Great Zimbabwe was constructed and expanded for more than 300 years in a local style that eschewed rectilinearity for flowing curves. Neither the first nor the last of some 300 similar complexes located on the Zimbabwean plateau, Great Zimbabwe is set apart by the terrific scale of its structure. Its most formidable edifice, commonly referred to as the Great Enclosure, has dressed stone walls as high as 36 feet extending approximately 820 feet, making it the largest ancient structure south of the Sahara Desert . Houses within the enclosure were circular and constructed of wattle and daub , with conical thatched roofs. The conical tower inside the Great Enclosure in Great Zimbabwe , a medieval city built by a prosperous culture

Modern architecture Fasiledes's castle, Fasil Ghebbi , Gondar .

Modern architecture ,[object Object]

Modern architecture ,[object Object],[object Object]

Modern architecture ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

Architecture of africa

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Architecture of africa