XIVᵉ siècle – XVᵉ siècle
Lamu archipelago, northern Kenya
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Lamu was a Muslim Swahili settlement in the Lamu archipelago with an earlier history extending before its fifteenth-century mention by Abu’l-Mahasin. Archaeological evidence corroborates its antiquity. By that time, the settlement was being engulfed by sand, and its older site east of the present town is described as buried beneath a large sand hill.
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Le récit
Lamu was among the notable settlements of the Lamu archipelago, a region that became prominent within the northern Swahili coast. The town had existed for some time before the fifteenth century, when it was mentioned by the Arab author Abu’l-Mahasin. Archaeological evidence is presented as corroborating this earlier existence.
By the time of Abu’l-Mahasin’s account, Lamu was being engulfed by sand. The older site lay east of the present town, and the passage states that it is now covered by a great hill of sand. This detail preserves a striking image of environmental change affecting a formerly inhabited coastal settlement.
Lamu formed part of the wider world of Muslim Swahili towns, whose inhabitants probably spoke an ancestral form of Swahili and depended on coastal exchange. The excerpt gives greater prominence to Pate in the written chronicles, but argues that Pate’s celebrated early conquests lack historical foundation and that the Lamu archipelago’s settlements deserve attention as part of the northern urban network.
XIVᵉ siècle – XVᵉ siècle
Lamu archipelago, northern Kenya
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Lamu was a Muslim Swahili settlement in the Lamu archipelago with an earlier history extending before its fifteenth-century mention by Abu’l-Mahasin. Archaeological evidence corroborates its antiquity. By that time, the settlement was being engulfed by sand, and its older site east of the present town is described as buried beneath a large sand hill.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Lamu was among the notable settlements of the Lamu archipelago, a region that became prominent within the northern Swahili coast. The town had existed for some time before the fifteenth century, when it was mentioned by the Arab author Abu’l-Mahasin. Archaeological evidence is presented as corroborating this earlier existence.
By the time of Abu’l-Mahasin’s account, Lamu was being engulfed by sand. The older site lay east of the present town, and the passage states that it is now covered by a great hill of sand. This detail preserves a striking image of environmental change affecting a formerly inhabited coastal settlement.
Lamu formed part of the wider world of Muslim Swahili towns, whose inhabitants probably spoke an ancestral form of Swahili and depended on coastal exchange. The excerpt gives greater prominence to Pate in the written chronicles, but argues that Pate’s celebrated early conquests lack historical foundation and that the Lamu archipelago’s settlements deserve attention as part of the northern urban network.
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