Dictionary of islamic architecture

See also:
coral, East Africa, Kenya
Further reading:
J.de V.Allen, 
Lamu Town: A Guide,
Mombasa 1974.
J.de V.Allen and T.H.Wilson, 
Swahili Houses and Tombs of
Kenya,
Art and Archaeology Research Papers, London
1979.
R.L.Flemming, ‘Lamu: a special Islamic townscape with
no conservation plan and no policy’, 
Monumentum
71–
7, 1983.
U.Ghaidan, 
Lamu: A Case Study of the Swahili Town,
Nairobi 1975.
U.Ghaidan and H.R.Hughes, ‘Lamu, a lesson in
townscape’, 
Architectural Review
Nov. 1973.
M.Ylvisaker, 
Lamu in the Nineteenth Century: Land, Trade
and Politics,
Boston 1979.
Lashkari Bazar
Ruined eleventh-century city in Afghanistan.
Lashkari Bazar is located to the north of the modern
city of Bust on the east side of the Helmud river in
south-west Afghanistan. The principal ruins at the
city date from the Ghaznavid period in the eleventh
century although there are both earlier remains from
the Parthian period and later remains from the
Ghurid period (twelfth to thirteenth century). In
many ways the site resembles the Abbasid site of
Samarra with its monumental size, its palaces, its
mud-brick architecture and its elongated
development alongside the river.
The citadel of Bust to the south seems to have
been the first area of settlement and Lashkari Bazar
seems to have been developed as a suburb or camp
referred to as al-
Askar. The three principal structures
at the site are the North, Centre and South palaces.
The earliest of these is the Centre Palace which was
probably built in the Samanid period. This is a
rectangular building (32 by 52 m) with circular
buttress towers at the corners. There are two
storeys—a ground floor and an upper floor—
although it appears that these were not connected.
The largest building at the site is the South Palace
which has been identified as the palace of Mahmud
of Ghazni. This is a huge structure (170 by 100 m)
built around a central courtyard which opens on to
four main iwans. The building is entered from the
south which leads into the courtyard via a cruciform
hall. At the opposite end of the courtyard is a large
iwan which leads, via a passageway, into a larger
one overlooking the river. This iwan which has a
staircase leading down to the river has been
compared to the Bab al-Amma at Samarra although
it has a different form. The private quarters were
arranged down the west side of the courtyard and
include a small mosque at the south end (this was
not accessible from the rest of the palace). The interior
of the palace was richly decorated with stucco work,
frescoes and carved marble panels. To the east of the
palace was a large walled garden which may have
contained animals.
In addition to palaces there are remains of smaller
private mansions built in the same style, with iwans
opening on to a courtyard. One of the more
interesting features of the site is the bazar from which
the site gets its name. This is a street more than 100
m long lined with small shop units (3–5 by 5 m). On
one side of this street, approximately in the middle,
there is courtyard building with store rooms, which
was probably the office of the market inspector
(muhtasib).