Dictionary of islamic architecture

See also:
East Africa, Kenya
Further reading:
N.Chittick, ‘An archaeological reconnaissance of the
southern Somali coast’, 
Azania
4: 115–30, 1969.
H.C.Sanservino, ‘Archaeological remains on the southern
Somali coast’, 
Azania
18: 151–64, 1983.
Songhay
The people who inhabit the banks of the Niger river
between Gao and Dendi in West Africa.
The Songhay people were the ruling population of
the empire of Gao during the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries. Some of them were Muslim before the
eleventh century but some have remained pagan to
the present day. Little is known of early Songhay
architecture, although ancestor-worship seems to
have been expressed through earthen burial mounds.
Elements of this tradition seem to have been
incorporated in Islamic monuments where
prominent people are buried within solid-earth
pyramid-like constructions, the most famous of
which is the tomb of Askiya Muhammad at Gao.
See also:
Gao, West Africa
South Africa
The Muslim community of South Africa seems to
have originated from south-east Asia, mostly
Malaysia. The Malays were mostly brought to South
Africa as slaves in the eighteenth century, although
some came freely as political exiles Although they
were allowed to remain Muslim they were not able
to worship publicly until 1804. Before that time
prayer was carried out within houses or in the open
air. The first purpose-built mosque was the Auwal
Mosque in Cape Town built at the beginning of the
eighteenth century. In its earliest form the mosque
lacked a minaret and resembled a chapel from the
exterior. Inside, there were two courtyards, a kitchen
and storage rooms as well as a prayer hall. For
planning reasons the building was not oriented to
face Mecca; instead the mihrab inside was built at
an angle to the rest of the building to correct this.