An archaeology of Islam and its architecture in Northern Ghana

Abstract

Northern Ghana had early contact with Muslims and Islam because of long-distance trade. It was Mande Muslim traders and clerics who were involved in this trade. They carried Islam alongside their trading activities into many trading communities in northern Ghana and were followed later by Hausa Muslim traders and clerics. This is evident based on the extant earthen mosques and other religious architecture dotted along the paths that the long-distance trade followed. Northern Ghana played an essential role in broader West African regional and religious networks. This thesis studies northern Ghana’s old mosques from an archaeological, architectural, and socio-political perspective. The results of an architectural survey are presented. Whereas researchers have traditionally focused on two styles of mosques in West Africa – Sudanic-style and Jenne-style – this study includes three additional types: religious centres, circular mosques, and open-air mosques. In addition to the survey, small-scale archaeological excavations were carried out at the Dondoli and Nakore mosques in the Wa Municipality, albeit with limited results. The thesis further explores how the architectural features of the Sudanic-style mosques have been appropriated to build the Waala and other palaces in the Upper West Region to enhance the political status of chiefly lineages in those communities. Many of the old mosques face serious conservation and maintenance challenges, and these are briefly considered. The earthen mosques are currently included on the UNESCO Tentative List, and some recommendations are proposed for their maintenance and protection.

Noord-Ghana het vroeë kontak met Moslems en Islam gehad as gevolg van langafstandhandel. Dit was Mande-Moslem-handelaars en -geestelikes wat by hierdie handel betrokke was. Hulle het Islam saam met hulle handelsaktiwiteite na baie handelsgemeenskappe in die noorde van Ghana gedra en is later deur Hausa-Moslem-handelaars en geestelikes gevolg. Dit is duidelik op grond van die bestaande erdemoskees en ander godsdienstige argitektuur wat langs die paaie wat die langafstandhandel gevolg het, verspreid is. Noord-Ghana het ’n noodsaaklike rol in breër Wes-Afrikaanse streek- en godsdiensnetwerke gespeel. Hierdie tesis bestudeer Noord-Ghana se ou moskees vanuit ’n argeologiese, argitektoniese en sosio-politieke perspektief. Die resultate van ’n argitektoniese opname word aangebied. Terwyl navorsers tradisioneel op twee style moskees in Wes-Afrika gefokus het – Soedanese en Jenne-styl – sluit hierdie studie drie bykomende tipes in: godsdienstige sentrums, sirkelvormige moskees en opelugmoskees. Benewens die opname is kleinskaalse argeologiese opgrawings by die Dondoli- en Nakore-moskees in die Wa-munisipaliteit uitgevoer, egter met beperkte resultate. Die tesis ondersoek hoe die argitektoniese kenmerke van die Soedanese-stylmoskees aangewend is om die Waala- en ander paleise in die Bo-Wes-streek te bou om die politieke status van hoofsaaklik geslagte in daardie gemeenskappe te verbeter. Baie van die ou moskees ervaar ernstige bewarings- en instandhoudingsuitdagings en dit word kortliks oorweeg. Die erdemoskees is tans ingesluit op die Unesco Tentatiewe Lys, en ’n paar aanbevelings word vir hulle instandhouding en beskerming voorgestel.

INyakatho yeGhana yaqala ukuxhumana namaSulumane namaIslamu ngenxa yohwebo olude. Kwakungabahwebi nabefundisi baseMande abangamaSulumane ababekhona phakathi kulo msebenzi wokuhweba. Bathwala inkolo yobuSulumane kanye nemisebenzi yabo yokuhweba emiphakathini eminingi yokuhweba enyakatho yeGhana futhi kamuva balandelwa abadayisi nabefundisi abangamaHausa abangamaSulumane. Lokhu kubonakala kusekelwe emathempelini emoskhi enziwe ngobumba asekhona nakwezinye izakhiwo zenkolo ezisezindleleni ezazilandelwa ukuhweba amabanga amade. INyakatho neGhana ibambe iqhaza elibalulekile ezinkundleni zokuxhumana zesifunda nezenkolo zaseNtshonalanga Afrika. Le thesisi ifunda amamoskhi amadala asenyakatho yeGhana ngokombono we-akhiyoloji, wezokwakha, kanye nombono wezenhlalo wezepolitiki. Imiphumela yocwaningo lwezakhiwo yethulwa. Nakuba abacwaningi ngokwesiko begxile ezindleleni ezimbili zamamoskhi eNtshonalanga Afrika - isitayela saseSudani kanye nesitayela sikaJenne - lolu cwaningo luhlanganisa izinhlobo ezintathu ezengeziwe: izikhungo zezenkolo, amamoskhi ayindilinga kanye namamoskhi avulekile. Ngaphezu kwalolu cwaningo, ukumbiwa kwezinto zakudala ezincane kwenziwa emasontweni amaSulumane aseDondoli naseNakare kuMasipala waseWa, nakuba kube nemiphumela emincane. Le thesisi iphinde ihlole ukuthi izici zezakhiwo zama-moskhi anesitayela saseSudan zabiwe kanjani ukuze kwakhiwe i-Waala nezinye izigodlo eSifundeni Sase-Upper West ukuze kuthuthukiswe isimo sezepolitiki sezizukulwane eziyinhloko kuleyo miphakathi. Amamoskhi amaningi amadala abhekene nezinselelo ezinkulu zokongiwa kwemvelo nokugcinwa kwazo, futhi lezi zicatshangelwa kafushane. Amamoskhi obumba okwamanje afakwe ohlwini lwe-UNESCO Lokuvivinywa, futhi ezinye izincomo ziyahlongozwa ukuze zigcinwe futhi zivikeleke.