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When most people think of a traditional African house, they think of a structure with a pointed roof made of grass or leaves. Most Ancient Egyptian houses, on the other hand, seemed to have had flat roofs, like this:
Why was AE housing different from other African houses? Did they simply not have enough vegetation to use for roofs? Or maybe they didn't need pointed houses because of the lack of rain (my dad once told me that the idea behind a pointed roof is to let water or snow slide off so it doesn't knock the house down).
ausar Member # 1797
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The architecture in Africa is rather diverse. Compare the ancient Egyptian dwelling to standard housing amongst the Yoruba,Hausa or Sahelian people. Modern Egyptian peasants and Nubians have similiar dwellings such as the ancient Egyptians. It's rather pratical considering that people work with the local materials they have to build the best dwellings they can.
You just have to investigate to see not all Africans have the standard round pointed thatched roof dwellings.
Tyrann0saurus Member # 3735
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Thank you. I myself was wondering if African housing was more diverse than the classical pointed-roof African hut.
Now that I think about it, this Hausa house does look vaguely similar to the Ancient Egyptian house, albeit with more decorative flourishes.
Doug M Member # 7650
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I know I have posted this before, but many Early European travellers to Africa pointed out that they had cities and that many featured square or rectangular dwellings. This is across Africa.
Djehuti Member # 6698
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^ Indeed, what is this talk of a "traditional African house" or a "classical" pointed roof hut?? As if all African peoples built their houses the exact same way.
T-rex, you pretty much answered your own question when you say that a people's housing architecture depends on the environment they lived in. Pointed roofs are indeed built for houses that recieve rain; something that just doesn't happen much in arid Egypt. And as others have answered, there are quadrilateral shaped, flat-roofed houses in other parts of Africa including West Africa and not just the round pointed roof kind.
And just to show you the silliness with stereotyping the shapes of houses with certain groups of people:
Traditional (ancient) houses of Celtic Europe:
But according to you, because they are round and have thacthed pointed roofs they are "African-like" LOL
Djehuti Member # 6698
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Sundiata Member # 13096
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Courtesy of Myra Wysinger:
African Cities and Towns before the European Conquest
Benin city, prior to British conquest
Ibn Battuta (travels from 1325-1354) writes about Kilwa during his visit to the Swahili Coast:
quote:We stayed one night in this island [Mombasa], and then pursued our journey to Kulwa, which is a large town on the coast. The majority of its inhabitants are Zanj, jet-black in colour, and with tattoo marks on their faces. I was told by a merchant that the town of Sufala lies a fortnight's journey [south] from Kulwa and that gold dust is brought to Sufala from Yufi in the country of the Limis, which is a month's journey distant from it. Kulwa is a very fine and substantially built town, and all its buildings are of wood.
Egyptian homes were constructed from mudbrick. The houses were typically built with windows set high to let hot air escape during the day, while allowing cool air during the night.
Not only were Egyptian houses flat, but the owners and family would spend time on the roofs.
Oh and here are a couple of books on African housing and architecture:
Ancient African Town (Metropolis) by Fiona MacDonald
African Architecture: Evolution and Transformation by Nnamdi Elleh
Djehuti Member # 6698
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By the way, I remember from an old thread way back that someone (maybe Ausar) brought up the fact that remains of round huts with pointed roofs were found dating back to predynastic times, and that such houses were depicted in sacred texts like the Book of the Dead, as if they were of some ritual or religious significance. Perhaps these houses represented the ancestors.
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