The archaeology of Islam in sub-Saharan Africa: A review

The impact of Islam within sub-Saharan Africa has been profound. Archaeological evidence for contact with, and acceptance of, Islam is present in most of the continent south of the Sahara, and ranges chronologically from the eighth to the twentieth centuries A.D. Enormous diversity is apparent in the archaeological remains encountered, direct evidence for Islam, mosques, inscriptions, burials and funerary monuments, and complete settlements, and indirect evidence for contacts with the Islamic World, such as imported goods of many kinds, and this illustrates the diversity which characterizes sub-Saharan African Islam. Yet uniformity is often apparent in the Islamization processes themselves: trade, proselytization, and to a lesser extent, Jihad, or holy-war, information which can be gained from archaeology and historical sources, and which is discussed in detail. © 1996 Plenum Publishing Corporation.