Dwindling Vernacular Architecture of the Swahili Coast: A Cosmopolitan Enclave in East Africa

The Swahili coast is an area in Southeast Africa, mainly the coasts of Kenya, Tanzania and northern Mozambique, in addition to some islands like Comoros. It has a distinct demography and culture and its architecture reveals a lot of cultural, economic and political connections that took place across the Indian Ocean during the premodern era. Swahili people started trading with the Arabs, the Persians, the Indians, the Chinese and the Malays, as early as the 8th century. This long-distance trade, known as the Indian Ocean trade influenced the Swahili culture heavily to the extent that somehow, it became a melting pot of all nations overlooking the Indian Ocean. Although the ruins of Gedi and Kilwa attracted the attention of the archeologists, Swahili architecture, an important element of Swahili culture, didn’t receive appropriate attention from the scholars until recently. However, with a recent tourism boom in the region, and with an interest in diversifying the touristic product, the old Swahili settlements are presented for the tourists. This paper examines Swahili architecture: a regional architectural language that was shaped by sea trade and is dwindling fast. The study employed a comparative analytical method within the case study approach. A diverse set of qualitative research techniques: observations, literature study and focus group interviews have been employed to generate data. It concludes that Swahili is a dynamic culture. From its beginning, it has incorporated foreign elements, and has been able to evolve and develop. Their location and the engagement in the Indian Ocean trade has forced the Swahilis to adapt and respond to social, cultural and aesthetic variations. It is evident that craftsmen, and builders with knowledge of a lifetime on how to build a traditional Swahili house can still be found today. However, they may not be around tomorrow and therefore it is essential to take necessary steps to retain those unique skills and knowledge about how to build culturally relevant Swahili houses.