Survey and Analysis of the Architectural Heritage at Jumba La Mtwana and Mnarani, Precolonial Swahili Towns in Kenya

Abstract

In 2021, a survey of two sites, known as Jumba la Mtwana and Mnarani in Kenya took place, which date between the 14th and 16th centuries CE. The sites represent some of the Swahili towns on the East African coast that were in the precolonial period taking part in trade along the coastline, to inland Africa and as far as the Middle East, India, and China. Today, the sites feature standing remains of various architectural features constructed of coral rag, a local type of limestone. This paper reports on a high-definition survey, which for the first time documented the entirety of the standing remains, spatial layout, and a configuration of these predominantly Islamic towns. The survey was conducted using a combination of 3D scanning technologies and photography, aimed at achieving two goals – documenting the state of preservation of the architectural remains and, perhaps more importantly, answering research questions in Swahili archaeology pertaining to the organisation of the urban constructed space. The preliminary results show that data from the conducted survey bring new information on the life-cycles of mosque architecture or on the construction of exterior urban space, contributing to the discussion on the existence and organisation of streets.