Lamu is a living town off the Kenya coast. It was recently nominated to the World Heritage List. The town has
been relatively undisturbed by colonization and modernization. This study reports on the early Swahili dwelling,
which is still a functioning type in Lamu. It commences with a brief historical perspective of Lamu in its Swahili
and East African coastal setting. It compares descriptions of the Lamu house, as found in literature, with
personal observations and field surveys, including a short description of construction methods. The study offers
observations on conservation and the current state of the Lamu house. It is concluded with a comparison between
Lamu and Stone Town, Zanzibar, in terms of house types and settlement patterns. We found that the Lamu house
is the stage for Swahili ritual and that the ancient and climatically uncomfortable plan form has been retained for
nearly a millennium because of its symbolic value.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:tut/oai:encore.tut.ac.za:d1000884 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Creators | Steyn, G |
| Publisher | South African Journal of Art History |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | |
| Rights | South African Journal of Art History |
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