The mosque at djenne shows that earthen architecture, when maintained, lasts, and can be beautiful and complex. also, brick, a traditional European bulding material, is just another kind of earth building material, when you take away the biases and desire to look down on those different from yourself, things really aren't that different.
"when maintained" and then you see why europeans, when they could, ditched to fired clay. Way more rain, way more maintenance. You can hear the wives complaints through history before they were able to make naked bricks fashionable... "if I don't paint it, then I'm not gonna need to repaint it. I'm gonna tell her that if we don't paint it, we gonna show it's all fired brics, that it will make us look rich or something... Yeah, this will work..." Even modern acrylic paint can be fickle.
Just so you understand this "maintenance" point. Here he talks about degraded roofing and milking running through the wall. Only the weakest link needs to break. Think it like shortening the chain and making sure there's only strong links. Humans will naturally converge to the easiest most resilient only as long as they need chain they can build from their environment.
we need a asthetic architecture not mud think about achient egyptian and the moors or the french or japanses cant compare mosque of djene to verssiale we need to develope a asthetic architecture with african elements lets all be honest mud is not asthetic marble and wood is and im not trying be disrespectful im also of african decent im just saying the obvius why cant build stone structures like egyptians or kush or axumite
@SamuelJoseph-p5q are those 3 historic nations you just mentioned not African? Are the stone ruins of great Zimbabwe and Mapungubwe in South Africa not in Africa.. Calm yourself down, you are being disrespectful, Africans had their reasons and they always had nature and the environment in mind when doing this things. The production of the bricks and cement you want is contributing to large emissions of CO2.. Africans were not dumb and stupid for earthen structures, they had their reasons and also knew that any time migration could happen.
This is the first of a series of videos covering African architecture. This video is just a general overview of the earthen architecture of Africa. There will also be videos dedicated to specific peoples and traditions ie: Ashanti, Benin, or Jola.
That whole "mud hut" idea makes me laugh. As he mentioned, "cob" was the most preferred building material in Europe during the sam time that Africans were using it in Africa. Cob is a mixture of earth, clay and straw. When Africans (and others) were using cow dung, it was basically just a way of having the cow cut up the grass/straw component for them with their teeth. Both cement and concrete structures are mostly made of sand and rocks and are bound together by natural reactions from other key ingredients. There is nothing magical about it. You might say that we are still living in mud building for the most part.
Has far has I know mud in Europe was most common in swamps or for very miserable people (both are linked). Wood, stone, bricks and ramned earth were used when available in ressources and skills . Even without stone working available Celts widely used wood houses. You don't want to live in mud/cob based material in rainy climate.
@@justepourlacheruncom8393 Well, to be clear, NOBODY lived in "mud." Mud would quickly dissolve under heavy rain. That is why cob was uses and usually coated with lime oil or pitch. Bear in mind that the cob houses in Europe have been there for centuries. The cob structures in Africa, even longer.
@@justepourlacheruncom8393 Sure, but I live in the desert and mud bricks (mixed with straw) work very well. It is not right to judge my region based on what does not work in your region.
@@johnnyearp52 Absolutely I don’t judge at all I recontextualize. Cob is fine if you don't fear rain, but implying that cob was some kind of equivalent gold standard for European and African is a bit wrong. In Europe it was used with wood for the structure and systematically abandoned for anything more durable. And it would overshadow the traditional use of stone and wood who was largely employed in Europe even for poor and less poor people. In a way we could say that we are proud to get rid of it (or at least turn into a choice , not a financial necessity)
A fun fact relating to many structures built in the Sudano Sahelian style is that they are actually built from stone but covered with a thick coat of mud plaster. The 14th century Djinguereber mosque in Timbuktu, is an example of this, it has stone masonry features that are normally obscured from view thanks to the thick mud plaster. It's also the same case with the famous the Medieval Sankore Madrasah. We can usually see the stones when re-plastering is being done. And as you've pointed out within your video these buildings with mud and mud plaster are usually alot cooler in the heat than stone and preserve heat inside in colder seasons. When it comes to making mudbrick in areas of the Sahel there was latarite soil whicg was used in the to make bricks. Due to it being rich in iron and aluminum it was easy to extract. The soil was cohesive and took a lot less time to mold so construction time was cut. So definitely earthern and other vernacular forms of architecture aren't primitive in certain given regions they were and still are more suitable.
@@FromNothing why do you think sahelian empires didn’t use as much mathematical geometric based designs in their architecture like in North Africa, Persia, Indian, or feudal europe? I’ve seen Fulani & Mauritanian design patterns, but not Mathematical or geometric based designs (I did see one picture of igbo using it, but it was just one example of it maybe)
@@FromNothing Teally? I didn't know they referred to them as masons, too. I hope more research continues to be done on these styles of architecture. Looks like we have barely scratched the surface.
@@FromNothing i was just referring to sahelian empires in my previous comment and I mean in their palaces & mosques, not the neighborhood in a fractal design
Great video! One small note, I learned from an archaeologist who works in Nigeria that the "Su" in "Sungbo's Eredo" is actually pronounced like the "Shoo" in "Shook." I've never seen any pronunciation guides online so it seems like word of mouth is the only way to find that out lmao
Spot on! I remember my grandma complaining about cinder blocks, an talking about her “mud hut”. In the daytime, even if it’s hot the insides of the house is always cool and if it’s cold at night, they’ll on a fire lamp shaped like a snail that they’ll put under a slab of clay bed with holes underneath which heats up the bed keeping it warm, sorta like a heating pad.
This is going to be an awesome series! 😁 I've been looking into historical African architecture for years now. My Pinterest page is full of examples for those interested to see just how diverse construction was in Africa. This reminds me you left us on a cliff hanger in one of the videos where you showed a plan of Yoruba architecture, i hope to see that one in this series.
I;ve got some land in Aburi, Ghana. I'm currently building a home there. I rejected the new tradition of concrete bricks and use earth, coconut shells, sea shells. straw and other organic materials. Its cheaper and means I will not be using A/C which will lower my bills. It will be rendered with cement. The architect who designed it has her home made out of the same materials.
@@FromNothing the sea shells add tensile strength to the bricks and stops any erosion. Elmina and Cape Coast castles have sea shells in the mixture which protects it from the sea. It actually strengthens it over time
@@MrPhillip1964 Calcium based material had kind of a "life". Limestone is very ductile when pulled out of the quarry and become less workable and tougher in contact with oxygen. Medieval mortar would dry in a matter of centuries for letting time castle move and stabilizing himself. Even the Roman concrete whom outlive the modern one because he had lime pockets who will bleed into and cicatrize them. So I am not surprised if seashells could strengthen the life earth houses. It's very honorable to reject modernity and embrace tradition. Even if cinders are crape in the long run with cultural inheritance in scope,traditional materials aren’t always affordable or without redibitory flaws.
@MrPhillip1964 does your architect/builder contractor have a youtube channel. I'm sure it would do well as there is a growing desire to build with earth again and gain inspiration
Great content as always! I have learnt new things which I can use in future discussions when ignorant people downplay African technological advancements and civilisations. The North American and European analogy was simply brilliant. It would have been great to see a little on Great Zimbabwe but appreciate you had limited time. Love from the UK
Great video! In the end it has more to do with practicality and availability of the local materials than any suggestion of "superior/inferior" civilization. This reminded me of an article I read not too long ago about the Japanese who used to build with wood and paper that were easy and cheap to replace and didn't cause too significant damages in a land known for earthquakes.
Note how no one ever looks down on any adobe buildings and pueblos made by Native Americans even though its just mudbrick, as if giving it a spanish name makes it any different. The same goes for any European building prior to Roman colonization. Like Germans didn't live in homes of wood and thatch, have bones in their noses and face paint. So crazy that an African can do the exact same thing and somehow its primitive.
Some people think the Great Mosque of Djenne is unimpressive because it's made of mud. But the very fact humans were able to build such an elaborate structure out of mud IS impressive. Who would've thought you could do that? Who would've thought you could erect a large building out of mud, complete with arches? Many mud buildings have been built by so many civilizations throughout human history, but the Mosque of Djenne surpasses them all in size and intricacy. It's truly one of a kind.
Like you mentioned the whole community helps to upkeep the Great Mosque of Djenne and one thing I would add as a positive for this mud replastering event is that it this event helps bring the community together and lets people connect in ways that the West lacks. In general from what I've read, it seems like Africans are more communal than western societies tend to be. And that architectural practice is a good example of the care they have for their community.
Your channel needs to be more well known. African history can stand on its own two feet, warts and all, just like that of all other continents. And we stand to learn a lot from it as opposed to ignoring it like we do now.
So basically, while stone and wood have been great materials in many areas of the world, they're not perfect everywhere. Meanwhile in some areas, earthen materials are much better than in other areas. Pretty sad many have taken to dismissing any particular style as "primitive" or "advanced" when really, people just use what works and is cheap or easy to get. I feel like a lot of the misconceptions come from looking back at classic Mediterranean stone architecture and saying "It must be the best, it's lasted 2000 years even with minimal to no maintenance" but that's a pretty silly position when a lot of our modern buildings probably still won't outlast those ones and it's not like we're bad at building things today either.
Very good point. Generally everything we do today is relatively volatile in comparison to past methods. For example we have pottery, stone tablets, and clay tablets from thousands of years ago but our books and computers are lucky to last more than a few decades.
Also I love the caricature of the two extremes, and you just calmly stating the reality. Makes me happy. I have acquaintances that could be considered from either camp, and feel that exasperated tone in your voice in my soul...
by far the most interesting building practice was the use of coral in the Swahili coast. Can't wait for you to hit that one. Also, you said they were whitewashing their earthen buildings with kaolin? Interesting....
coral used in swahili coast are copies from oman, omani fort, palace and building used coral and mud also some stone and brick. swahili coast, like kilwa, mombasa, zanzibar, peta, lamu and dar es salam infuences heavy by omani, yemeni and persian/shirazi. for example zanzibar palace, fort, and architecture base on arab omani. swahili just like korean or vietnam, copies from chinese. writing script used arabic, clothing, dagger and turban used omani and yemeni style. comoros is example still preserved it's arab influences zanzibar last in 1964 when last omani arab ruler be kick out and arabic will replace swahili an bantu arabic mixed language.
Earthen structures are very good for lots of purposes. People everywhere have used various mixtures of earthy materials to build homes for at least ten thousand years. It's even becoming more popular again in the western world due to its insulating properties and people caring more about the environment. If you've ever been inside a mud brick or otherwise earthen structure you know they're quite comfortable, and the ones made with dung don't have any smell at all.
I live in the desert in the USA. The traditional building material here was adobe (mud brick). The native people here built multistoried apartment buildings with mud. The Spanish settlers built churches with it. Our region is famous for it. My friend's house is built with it. People are surprised to find this out because you can't easily tell. Rich people have mansions built of adobe. Mud can be a very useful building material. People underestimate it.
In ancient Egypt, the only buildings that were built in stone, was pyramids, palaces, and temples, but the average Egyptian people, lived in earthen homes, with dirt floors, like the rest of African people, homes were purposely built like that, to keep the inside cooler, because of the heat intensity of the African sun.
These videos are amazing! I can't wait to see your next architecture video! And stone? The Egyptians showed us how much trouble it is to actually work with it; from sourcing it and other materials needed to transport it... to figuring out how to get them on-site, along with the huge number of workers need on the projects. Fun reading for anyone interested.
I like how people look down on earthen homes saying they're primitive but in fact they were used throughout history and still use today. During the 19th century you have the adobe structures of Mexico and southern United States or the Sod Cabins of the great plains that the "white" people were using regularly up until the early 20th century. Now people are looking back at the earth home constructions in making more affordable and environmentally sustainable homes.
I remember hometeam history saying that the soninka people built in stones because of repeated attacks from those in the north. Human beings have strict evolutionary patterns based on their NEEDS. Therefore neglecting this factor and comparing one group of people to another while using another group as a standard is kinda stupid. For instance, certain groups we call bush people have adapted to live in forests that many today even in Africa cannot survive in bear bodied the way these people have adapted to their forests. There is pure ingenuity in the ways Africans have chosen to RESPECTFULLY co exist with their environments historically.
I think stone working is correlated to military pressure. When you need to face huge armies of mobile cavalry, you need very strong defensive lines to quickly retreat civilians in security and buy time for your army to come to chase them. If horses keep dying in your latitude because of diseases , armies a less dangerous.
The long running UK show _Grand Designs_ featured a cob house in some of the episodes. It was an exercise of love (and obsession) and ended up quite the residence.
Your analysis have always been amazing and insightful. I've learned so much from you about things that few or no one talk about. I have no doubt's that your input in African architecture will produce information and insight that frankly one would only find from you. I follow with great anticipation
Oh, here in brazil, we have mud architecture techniques that come both from africa and portugal, and they aren't that dissimilar. One I really like is polymerized mud soil, made using oil. It's very comfortable and smooth. Very comparable plaster as well. And if you think about it, it's no wonder so many cultures came with plaster as the go to building paint.
I was just about to comment on how Europeans also used many similar methods of earthen construction to those used in Africa, just as you addressed it in the video. Wattle and daub, wnd cob houses, with thatched roofs, are all throughout Europe.
The comparison in the thumbnail is quite concerning, that is an awful modern "stone wall". You can see it has concrete in it and the stones are also irregular, that's typical of ingenuous copycats from illiterate masons, the typical knowitalls that don't understand anything about architecture in its original sense: the wall has no support from behind, the stones are held by concrete (commercial) and it has a whole concrete block wall on top of it all, also. This is common in South America; yet the real deal is in Spain and Italy, there the masons cut the stone according to its placement in the wall as well as the interior part of it. There is another perk regarding stone walls, in the Mediterranean area they have been combined with rammed earth to make huge fortified walls: rammed earth is probably the base for most of the mud walls you describe there, as well as fired adobe walls. In Spain you got many representations of these walls; one of the most important, archeologically-wise, are the walls of Melilla which have their origin in pre Roman times; others are: Cordoba's and the Mudejar constructions in southern Spain. Rammed earth is more reliable than mud and requires less water and plant matter, plus combined with stone structures within it (called "encadenado" and "verdugada" in Spanish) they can be "reinforced"! to withstand centuries: mud is usually used as a plaster.
They used the materials that they had, and they found ways to make the mortar somewhat durable. They didn't know about cement, because the technology to make lime hadn't transferred from the Mediterranean. Besides there is hardly any limestone available in the inner parts of the Sahel, where you mostly find sandstone, basalt, gneiss and granite. Once Africans learned to produce cement, they adopted it as it is a superior material from a structural point of view. There is one aspect of "banco" (straw-reinforced mud bricks) that is advantageous; it is the fact that its porosity allows it to absorb and evaporate water ; this has a cooling effect that those who have slept in a house made of banco, are familiar with. But banco walls require a lot of maintenance and they can be destroyed by a particularly violent shower storm.
Wow, this is really enlightening, I never really saw earthen material as a "superior" material in its proper context. Alsa, the Swahili civilization opted for coral rag as the material of choice for the upper class. It would be nice if you looked into the reasons why this was so. Stone and masons were readily available, however it was as less ideal to the less accessible coral.
I think it's because coral was easier to work than stone. When coral is still alive it's soft and can easily be cut and shaped but then when it dies it gets as hard as stone.
@@FromNothing much appreciated, I'm designing furniture that references African architecture and uses some of the materials and techniques this is good research 🙏🏿
"earthen", it's mud. Wanna be fancy say clay. "Negative connotations" it will remain with "earthen". Reality is, semi-arid regions make clay a really good material for long term buildings That's why in more humid african places they tend to favor wood.
Moroccan, Libyan, Algerian, Mauritanian, Tunisian Arab-Berbers and Tuareg build some build with mud, like 'Kasbah", in Oman, UAE, Qatar, Saudi, Bahrain and some part of Iran build Fort and Palace also with mud. for example 'Bahla fort, Nizwa fort, Jabreen castle and Nakhal fort. that because desert lack of resource and manpower, compare to Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Morocco, Libya many Castle, Fort, Citadel and palace build with stone and brick like 'Cairo Citadel, Quseir Castle, Qaitbay Citadel", In India subcontinent in Pakistan and India, cow dung and mud also be used to made houses and wall. in Medieval Europe used many in village, but not in capital, big cities and town. Nothing to shame of, Mud of 'Hausa, Tuareg, Malian and Chadian/Kanuri and Kanembu' in Niger, Mali, Chad and Northern Nigeria(Hausaland) old medieval city like "Kano, Zinder, Kaduna, Zaria, Agadez, Katsina, Bornu, Sokoto, Timbuktu, Djenne and Mopti is example of best preserved mud city. 'Kano city wall, Kano Emir Palace, Katsina city wall, city wall Zaria and others are beautiful. no need to copies European, Eastern Asian/Sinosphere, Indian and Perso-Arabia/Middle Eastern. Benin/Edo city, Ashanti old city of 'Kumasi' and Dahomey old city if still exist, preserve and not destroyed by Brtish and French, it much Benin old city and Ashanti old Kumasi city will be just like 'old city of Kano, Zinder, Katsina, Zazzau/Zaria and others'
we need a asthetic architecture not mud think about achient egyptian and the moors or the french or japanses cant compare mosque of djene to verssiale we need to develope a asthetic architecture with african elements lets all be honest mud is not asthetic marble and wood is and im not trying be disrespectful im also of african decent im just saying the obvius why cant build stone structures like egyptians or kush or axumite
Isn’t it a misnomer to say why did “Africans” build in mud? It would be like saying, why did all Europeans worship Odin? Some Europeans did, but a lot didnt. Similarly Africa is very diverse and of course Africans built in stone. The Nubians used stone in great building that were contemporaries of ancient Egypt. Aksum in what is now Ethiopia used stone, and were contemporaries with Ancient Rome. Aksum was a great kingdom and considered to be a great power in its day and compared to Rome, Persian and China at the time. So, there’s no need to make “excuses” for Africans when the whole premise is wrong and misleading.
I assume you didn't watch the video because I already clarified that not all Africans used mud. I also clarified that It was "Among the most prevalent building material on the continent." So no, i'm not "making excuses." I'm just explaining.
The region was original founded as a seasonal outpost by Berbers, though they weren't necessarily "caucasoid." The Taureg and Sanhaja of that region are a very diverse group. Either war, Timbuktu developed into an urban center with distinct architecture as a result of various Mande peoples (who are black). The also built several other ancient and important cities like Gao, Jenne, and Dia.
Islam architecture and cultures will never eve be called a black or any color. Islam buildings and its people don't use those descriptions like black or white or African. Islam is islam not African.
Oh really? Then I suggest you look up the Etymology of the words Sudan, Zanji, and Zanzibar. The Muslims have always literally referred to the lands south of the Sahara as "Lands of the Blacks."
The Mali "empire" was not even close to the most rich in the world at the time, and mansa musa is mostly a exagerated story, even if he had alot of gold, the Europeans, Arabs, Chinese, Indians were way more advanced rich and powerfull
No during that period Europe was weak and Arabia was rich and developing but was falling to modern Muslim control that began banning the sciences Mali while apples to apples comparison is impossible as a battle in Africa they would have destroyed europe And a battle in europe would have seen the African lose They advancement of the civilizations was on par If we take in areas of survivability into perspectives Who could survive the most places without dying out Africa being ahead of Europe and competitive to the Middle East Asia was doing very well during this period as well Based on the knowledge and capabilities of the period Africans could have survived in any area at this point with their culture and technology Below Norway not due to winter but due to culture of the Norway being to supplement food with vit d While Europeans would not be able to survive in Africa for a few centuries and even then only the southern and northern tips till modern times
Europe was struggling with plagues, the dark ages and not at all what it is today. Mali was not just part of the Muslim world, but a major contibuting part of it.
Cob and mud houses are literally considered some of the best looking non mansions They are so loved that they were used globally because of the esthetic appeal Only being limited in Europe due to being harder to manufacture then wood Brick houses do fall apart over a few centuries but are aren’t bad either
@@tompossessed1729 Nah it's funny because he's too much of an idiot to realize that Dr. Kangz that I have in my videos is literally just like him. He'd know that if he actually watched the videos but instead he decides it's a better idea to spend embarrassingly large amounts of time going out of his way to make himself look like an idiot in my comment section lmao. If he wants to give me ad revenue by being an idiot then that's his choice.
![[UNCUT] The Loyal Pin ปิ่นภักดิ์ EP.15 (1/4)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TLBjiHvkKtE/mqdefault.jpg)
The mosque at djenne shows that earthen architecture, when maintained, lasts, and can be beautiful and complex. also, brick, a traditional European bulding material, is just another kind of earth building material, when you take away the biases and desire to look down on those different from yourself, things really aren't that different.
Indeed. At the end of the day, stone is just as "earthen" as mud.
"when maintained" and then you see why europeans, when they could, ditched to fired clay.
Way more rain, way more maintenance.
You can hear the wives complaints through history before they were able to make naked bricks fashionable...
"if I don't paint it, then I'm not gonna need to repaint it. I'm gonna tell her that if we don't paint it, we gonna show it's all fired brics, that it will make us look rich or something... Yeah, this will work..."
Even modern acrylic paint can be fickle.
Just so you understand this "maintenance" point.
Here he talks about degraded roofing and milking running through the wall.
Only the weakest link needs to break.
Think it like shortening the chain and making sure there's only strong links.
Humans will naturally converge to the easiest most resilient only as long as they need chain they can build from their environment.
we need a asthetic architecture not mud think about achient egyptian and the moors or the french or japanses cant compare mosque of djene to verssiale we need to develope a asthetic architecture with african elements lets all be honest mud is not asthetic marble and wood is and im not trying be disrespectful im also of african decent im just saying the obvius why cant build stone structures like egyptians or kush or axumite
@SamuelJoseph-p5q are those 3 historic nations you just mentioned not African? Are the stone ruins of great Zimbabwe and Mapungubwe in South Africa not in Africa.. Calm yourself down, you are being disrespectful, Africans had their reasons and they always had nature and the environment in mind when doing this things. The production of the bricks and cement you want is contributing to large emissions of CO2.. Africans were not dumb and stupid for earthen structures, they had their reasons and also knew that any time migration could happen.
This is the first of a series of videos covering African architecture. This video is just a general overview of the earthen architecture of Africa. There will also be videos dedicated to specific peoples and traditions ie: Ashanti, Benin, or Jola.
I'd love to see a video on Somalis/East Africa in general!
cant wait to see it great works!
Nice specific subject
That whole "mud hut" idea makes me laugh. As he mentioned, "cob" was the most preferred building material in Europe during the sam time that Africans were using it in Africa. Cob is a mixture of earth, clay and straw. When Africans (and others) were using cow dung, it was basically just a way of having the cow cut up the grass/straw component for them with their teeth.
Both cement and concrete structures are mostly made of sand and rocks and are bound together by natural reactions from other key ingredients. There is nothing magical about it. You might say that we are still living in mud building for the most part.
Has far has I know mud in Europe was most common in swamps or for very miserable people (both are linked).
Wood, stone, bricks and ramned earth were used when available in ressources and skills .
Even without stone working available Celts widely used wood houses.
You don't want to live in mud/cob based material in rainy climate.
@@justepourlacheruncom8393 Well, to be clear, NOBODY lived in "mud." Mud would quickly dissolve under heavy rain. That is why cob was uses and usually coated with lime oil or pitch. Bear in mind that the cob houses in Europe have been there for centuries. The cob structures in Africa, even longer.
@@justepourlacheruncom8393 Sure, but I live in the desert and mud bricks (mixed with straw) work very well. It is not right to judge my region based on what does not work in your region.
@@johnnyearp52 Absolutely I don’t judge at all I recontextualize.
Cob is fine if you don't fear rain, but implying that cob was some kind of equivalent gold standard for European and African is a bit wrong.
In Europe it was used with wood for the structure and systematically abandoned for anything more durable.
And it would overshadow the traditional use of stone and wood who was largely employed in Europe even for poor and less poor people.
In a way we could say that we are proud to get rid of it (or at least turn into a choice , not a financial necessity)
A fun fact relating to many structures built in the Sudano Sahelian style is that they are actually built from stone but covered with a thick coat of mud plaster. The 14th century Djinguereber mosque in Timbuktu, is an example of this, it has stone masonry features that are normally obscured from view thanks to the thick mud plaster. It's also the same case with the famous the Medieval Sankore Madrasah. We can usually see the stones when re-plastering is being done.
And as you've pointed out within your video these buildings with mud and mud plaster are usually alot cooler in the heat than stone and preserve heat inside in colder seasons.
When it comes to making mudbrick in areas of the Sahel there was latarite soil whicg was used in the to make bricks. Due to it being rich in iron and aluminum it was easy to extract. The soil was cohesive and took a lot less time to mold so construction time was cut. So definitely earthern and other vernacular forms of architecture aren't primitive in certain given regions they were and still are more suitable.
Interesting. I have definitely noticed the use of mud-plastered stone and I have often heard of architects of the region referred to as "masons."
@@FromNothing why do you think sahelian empires didn’t use as much mathematical geometric based designs in their architecture like in North Africa, Persia, Indian, or feudal europe?
I’ve seen Fulani & Mauritanian design patterns, but not Mathematical or geometric based designs
(I did see one picture of igbo using it, but it was just one example of it maybe)
@@FromNothing Teally? I didn't know they referred to them as masons, too. I hope more research continues to be done on these styles of architecture. Looks like we have barely scratched the surface.
@@saratmodugu2721 They do use mathematics, in fact there is even evidence that the Benin used fractal geometry in their architecture.
@@FromNothing i was just referring to sahelian empires in my previous comment and I mean in their palaces & mosques, not the neighborhood in a fractal design
Great video! One small note, I learned from an archaeologist who works in Nigeria that the "Su" in "Sungbo's Eredo" is actually pronounced like the "Shoo" in "Shook." I've never seen any pronunciation guides online so it seems like word of mouth is the only way to find that out lmao
Interesting, noted.
Spot on! I remember my grandma complaining about cinder blocks, an talking about her “mud hut”. In the daytime, even if it’s hot the insides of the house is always cool and if it’s cold at night, they’ll on a fire lamp shaped like a snail that they’ll put under a slab of clay bed with holes underneath which heats up the bed keeping it warm, sorta like a heating pad.
It's fascinating to hear a first-hand account like that!
That's awesome.. Where are you from?
This is going to be an awesome series! 😁 I've been looking into historical African architecture for years now. My Pinterest page is full of examples for those interested to see just how diverse construction was in Africa. This reminds me you left us on a cliff hanger in one of the videos where you showed a plan of Yoruba architecture, i hope to see that one in this series.
Bro, dif you see the comments of bruno
Nuno Martins i mean
What's the link to your Pinterest?
@@Morgue12free I can’t share it here unfortunately TH-cam is annoying these days. Just search my name you’ll find it.
I;ve got some land in Aburi, Ghana. I'm currently building a home there. I rejected the new tradition of concrete bricks and use earth, coconut shells, sea shells. straw and other organic materials. Its cheaper and means I will not be using A/C which will lower my bills. It will be rendered with cement. The architect who designed it has her home made out of the same materials.
That's amazing!
@@FromNothing the sea shells add tensile strength to the bricks and stops any erosion. Elmina and Cape Coast castles have sea shells in the mixture which protects it from the sea. It actually strengthens it over time
Based
@@MrPhillip1964
Calcium based material had kind of a "life". Limestone is very ductile when pulled out of the quarry and become less workable and tougher in contact with oxygen.
Medieval mortar would dry in a matter of centuries for letting time castle move and stabilizing himself.
Even the Roman concrete whom outlive the modern one because he had lime pockets who will bleed into and cicatrize them.
So I am not surprised if seashells could strengthen the life earth houses.
It's very honorable to reject modernity and embrace tradition. Even if cinders are crape in the long run with cultural inheritance in scope,traditional materials aren’t always affordable or without redibitory flaws.
@MrPhillip1964 does your architect/builder contractor have a youtube channel. I'm sure it would do well as there is a growing desire to build with earth again and gain inspiration
Great content as always! I have learnt new things which I can use in future discussions when ignorant people downplay African technological advancements and civilisations. The North American and European analogy was simply brilliant. It would have been great to see a little on Great Zimbabwe but appreciate you had limited time. Love from the UK
Thanks! I'm glad I can help. And don't worry, we'll cover Zimbabwe and other southern African stone architecture in a future episode.
I'm looking forward to see that video on Great Zimbabwe, there is so much that isn't tought in American schools.
Great video! In the end it has more to do with practicality and availability of the local materials than any suggestion of "superior/inferior" civilization.
This reminded me of an article I read not too long ago about the Japanese who used to build with wood and paper that were easy and cheap to replace and didn't cause too significant damages in a land known for earthquakes.
Indeed! I was actually planning to mention the Japanese use of wood and paper when I cover the Bamileke architecture.
Note how no one ever looks down on any adobe buildings and pueblos made by Native Americans even though its just mudbrick, as if giving it a spanish name makes it any different. The same goes for any European building prior to Roman colonization. Like Germans didn't live in homes of wood and thatch, have bones in their noses and face paint. So crazy that an African can do the exact same thing and somehow its primitive.
Some people think the Great Mosque of Djenne is unimpressive because it's made of mud. But the very fact humans were able to build such an elaborate structure out of mud IS impressive. Who would've thought you could do that? Who would've thought you could erect a large building out of mud, complete with arches?
Many mud buildings have been built by so many civilizations throughout human history, but the Mosque of Djenne surpasses them all in size and intricacy. It's truly one of a kind.
Any form of architecture that isn't a modern monstrosity of concrete/glass/steel gets my thumbs up really.
Like you mentioned the whole community helps to upkeep the Great Mosque of Djenne and one thing I would add as a positive for this mud replastering event is that it this event helps bring the community together and lets people connect in ways that the West lacks. In general from what I've read, it seems like Africans are more communal than western societies tend to be. And that architectural practice is a good example of the care they have for their community.
Indeed. I've heard of similar practices in other cities. For example women and children would clean trash from the streets of Kumasi every night.
Your channel needs to be more well known. African history can stand on its own two feet, warts and all, just like that of all other continents. And we stand to learn a lot from it as opposed to ignoring it like we do now.
So basically, while stone and wood have been great materials in many areas of the world, they're not perfect everywhere. Meanwhile in some areas, earthen materials are much better than in other areas. Pretty sad many have taken to dismissing any particular style as "primitive" or "advanced" when really, people just use what works and is cheap or easy to get. I feel like a lot of the misconceptions come from looking back at classic Mediterranean stone architecture and saying "It must be the best, it's lasted 2000 years even with minimal to no maintenance" but that's a pretty silly position when a lot of our modern buildings probably still won't outlast those ones and it's not like we're bad at building things today either.
Very good point. Generally everything we do today is relatively volatile in comparison to past methods. For example we have pottery, stone tablets, and clay tablets from thousands of years ago but our books and computers are lucky to last more than a few decades.
@@FromNothingthank you planned obsolescence 🎉
Also I love the caricature of the two extremes, and you just calmly stating the reality. Makes me happy. I have acquaintances that could be considered from either camp, and feel that exasperated tone in your voice in my soul...
by far the most interesting building practice was the use of coral in the Swahili coast. Can't wait for you to hit that one. Also, you said they were whitewashing their earthen buildings with kaolin? Interesting....
Yes I will definitely be covering that in the future and I too find it incredibly fascinating!
coral used in swahili coast are copies from oman, omani fort, palace and building used coral and mud also some stone and brick. swahili coast, like kilwa, mombasa, zanzibar, peta, lamu and dar es salam infuences heavy by omani, yemeni and persian/shirazi. for example zanzibar palace, fort, and architecture base on arab omani. swahili just like korean or vietnam, copies from chinese. writing script used arabic, clothing, dagger and turban used omani and yemeni style. comoros is example still preserved it's arab influences zanzibar last in 1964 when last omani arab ruler be kick out and arabic will replace swahili an bantu arabic mixed language.
Earthen structures are very good for lots of purposes. People everywhere have used various mixtures of earthy materials to build homes for at least ten thousand years. It's even becoming more popular again in the western world due to its insulating properties and people caring more about the environment. If you've ever been inside a mud brick or otherwise earthen structure you know they're quite comfortable, and the ones made with dung don't have any smell at all.
I live in the desert in the USA. The traditional building material here was adobe (mud brick). The native people here built multistoried apartment buildings with mud. The Spanish settlers built churches with it. Our region is famous for it. My friend's house is built with it. People are surprised to find this out because you can't easily tell. Rich people have mansions built of adobe. Mud can be a very useful building material. People underestimate it.
In ancient Egypt, the only buildings that were built in stone, was pyramids, palaces, and temples, but the average Egyptian people, lived in earthen homes, with dirt floors, like the rest of African people, homes were purposely built like that, to keep the inside cooler, because of the heat intensity of the African sun.
This lol,
These videos are amazing! I can't wait to see your next architecture video!
And stone? The Egyptians showed us how much trouble it is to actually work with it; from sourcing it and other materials needed to transport it... to figuring out how to get them on-site, along with the huge number of workers need on the projects. Fun reading for anyone interested.
I like how people look down on earthen homes saying they're primitive but in fact they were used throughout history and still use today. During the 19th century you have the adobe structures of Mexico and southern United States or the Sod Cabins of the great plains that the "white" people were using regularly up until the early 20th century.
Now people are looking back at the earth home constructions in making more affordable and environmentally sustainable homes.
Yes, I lived in an adobe (mud brick) house as a child in the USA. My friend lives in one now.
Mud bricks are just fine. Just ask those Mesopotamians that were so beloved by white male academia of old.
I remember hometeam history saying that the soninka people built in stones because of repeated attacks from those in the north. Human beings have strict evolutionary patterns based on their NEEDS. Therefore neglecting this factor and comparing one group of people to another while using another group as a standard is kinda stupid. For instance, certain groups we call bush people have adapted to live in forests that many today even in Africa cannot survive in bear bodied the way these people have adapted to their forests. There is pure ingenuity in the ways Africans have chosen to RESPECTFULLY co exist with their environments historically.
I think stone working is correlated to military pressure. When you need to face huge armies of mobile cavalry, you need very strong defensive lines to quickly retreat civilians in security and buy time for your army to come to chase them.
If horses keep dying in your latitude because of diseases , armies a less dangerous.
Man, I was missing these videos XD
Thank you for the great video! Welcome back :D
The long running UK show _Grand Designs_ featured a cob house in some of the episodes. It was an exercise of love (and obsession) and ended up quite the residence.
Amazing video! So glad this is going to be a series on architecture
First of all, welcome back! Second, thanks for sharing this. It was a great watch.
Love this channel. Great source of history that's traditionally less-emphasized in the West, but no less interesting.
Excellent video. Thank you for taking the time to do this incredible research.
Do you plan to cover African urban planning as well?
Yes
Thank you for this knowledge. Hearing about all the practical layers of African architecture was a blast.
The purpose is usefulness, if it was meeting the needs then it was good.
Your analysis have always been amazing and insightful. I've learned so much from you about things that few or no one talk about. I have no doubt's that your input in African architecture will produce information and insight that frankly one would only find from you. I follow with great anticipation
Oh, here in brazil, we have mud architecture techniques that come both from africa and portugal, and they aren't that dissimilar.
One I really like is polymerized mud soil, made using oil. It's very comfortable and smooth.
Very comparable plaster as well.
And if you think about it, it's no wonder so many cultures came with plaster as the go to building paint.
Great video! I am looking forward to the rest of this series!
Would really be interested to hear about any famous sieges from subsaharan Africa cities or structures that used mud
I was just about to comment on how Europeans also used many similar methods of earthen construction to those used in Africa, just as you addressed it in the video. Wattle and daub, wnd cob houses, with thatched roofs, are all throughout Europe.
You’re very right that the cultural assumption is that stone is more advanced, and yeah it’s way more complicated than that. Great video!
This was wonderful to learn about
7:51 Wait is THAT what those things are for? The branches that stick out, are like window washing platform?
Yes. They are platforms for replastering the walls.
The comparison in the thumbnail is quite concerning, that is an awful modern "stone wall". You can see it has concrete in it and the stones are also irregular, that's typical of ingenuous copycats from illiterate masons, the typical knowitalls that don't understand anything about architecture in its original sense: the wall has no support from behind, the stones are held by concrete (commercial) and it has a whole concrete block wall on top of it all, also. This is common in South America; yet the real deal is in Spain and Italy, there the masons cut the stone according to its placement in the wall as well as the interior part of it. There is another perk regarding stone walls, in the Mediterranean area they have been combined with rammed earth to make huge fortified walls: rammed earth is probably the base for most of the mud walls you describe there, as well as fired adobe walls. In Spain you got many representations of these walls; one of the most important, archeologically-wise, are the walls of Melilla which have their origin in pre Roman times; others are: Cordoba's and the Mudejar constructions in southern Spain. Rammed earth is more reliable than mud and requires less water and plant matter, plus combined with stone structures within it (called "encadenado" and "verdugada" in Spanish) they can be "reinforced"! to withstand centuries: mud is usually used as a plaster.
The image I used was just for creative expression.
"Mud" architecture can be pretty impressive, two of the most largest ancient cities Yin Xu and Chan-Chan (Chimor) are magnificent.
Mud is a common building source.
They used the materials that they had, and they found ways to make the mortar somewhat durable. They didn't know about cement, because the technology to make lime hadn't transferred from the Mediterranean. Besides there is hardly any limestone available in the inner parts of the Sahel, where you mostly find sandstone, basalt, gneiss and granite. Once Africans learned to produce cement, they adopted it as it is a superior material from a structural point of view. There is one aspect of "banco" (straw-reinforced mud bricks) that is advantageous; it is the fact that its porosity allows it to absorb and evaporate water ; this has a cooling effect that those who have slept in a house made of banco, are familiar with. But banco walls require a lot of maintenance and they can be destroyed by a particularly violent shower storm.
The Germans fire those bricks, the traditional German Ernhouse are/were compose of that type bricks: they were "field fired".
@@TheGrmany69 not sure sahel had enough wood or combustible plants to keep firing bricks profitable for any culture who woudl have tried it.
Wow, this is really enlightening, I never really saw earthen material as a "superior" material in its proper context. Alsa, the Swahili civilization opted for coral rag as the material of choice for the upper class. It would be nice if you looked into the reasons why this was so. Stone and masons were readily available, however it was as less ideal to the less accessible coral.
I think it's because coral was easier to work than stone. When coral is still alive it's soft and can easily be cut and shaped but then when it dies it gets as hard as stone.
Thanks!
Thank you too!!!
Clay bricks are the best
Whay is the white plaster used in ghana called?
Kaolin
@@FromNothing much appreciated, I'm designing furniture that references African architecture and uses some of the materials and techniques this is good research 🙏🏿
@@fromafricaicame5909 Oh that's awesome!
❤️👣❤️
"earthen", it's mud.
Wanna be fancy say clay. "Negative connotations" it will remain with "earthen".
Reality is, semi-arid regions make clay a really good material for long term buildings
That's why in more humid african places they tend to favor wood.
Middle east and north africa don't use much mud because of soil, I'd guess.
Remember that mud architecture will compete with pottery.
Think how insane the middle east is in lack of materials... At least sandstone is easy to work with.
Moroccan, Libyan, Algerian, Mauritanian, Tunisian Arab-Berbers and Tuareg build some build with mud, like 'Kasbah", in Oman, UAE, Qatar, Saudi, Bahrain and some part of Iran build Fort and Palace also with mud. for example 'Bahla fort, Nizwa fort, Jabreen castle and Nakhal fort. that because desert lack of resource and manpower, compare to Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Morocco, Libya many Castle, Fort, Citadel and palace build with stone and brick like 'Cairo Citadel, Quseir Castle, Qaitbay Citadel", In India subcontinent in Pakistan and India, cow dung and mud also be used to made houses and wall. in Medieval Europe used many in village, but not in capital, big cities and town. Nothing to shame of, Mud of 'Hausa, Tuareg, Malian and Chadian/Kanuri and Kanembu' in Niger, Mali, Chad and Northern Nigeria(Hausaland) old medieval city like "Kano, Zinder, Kaduna, Zaria, Agadez, Katsina, Bornu, Sokoto, Timbuktu, Djenne and Mopti is example of best preserved mud city. 'Kano city wall, Kano Emir Palace, Katsina city wall, city wall Zaria and others are beautiful. no need to copies European, Eastern Asian/Sinosphere, Indian and Perso-Arabia/Middle Eastern. Benin/Edo city, Ashanti old city of 'Kumasi' and Dahomey old city if still exist, preserve and not destroyed by Brtish and French, it much Benin old city and Ashanti old Kumasi city will be just like 'old city of Kano, Zinder, Katsina, Zazzau/Zaria and others'
Stop with the copypasta already it clear as day you just hate African people and thier history
we need a asthetic architecture not mud think about achient egyptian and the moors or the french or japanses cant compare mosque of djene to verssiale we need to develope a asthetic architecture with african elements lets all be honest mud is not asthetic marble and wood is and im not trying be disrespectful im also of african decent im just saying the obvius why cant build stone structures like egyptians or kush or axumite
Isn’t it a misnomer to say why did “Africans” build in mud? It would be like saying, why did all Europeans worship Odin? Some Europeans did, but a lot didnt. Similarly Africa is very diverse and of course Africans built in stone. The Nubians used stone in great building that were contemporaries of ancient Egypt. Aksum in what is now Ethiopia used stone, and were contemporaries with Ancient Rome. Aksum was a great kingdom and considered to be a great power in its day and compared to Rome, Persian and China at the time. So, there’s no need to make “excuses” for Africans when the whole premise is wrong and misleading.
I assume you didn't watch the video because I already clarified that not all Africans used mud. I also clarified that It was "Among the most prevalent building material on the continent." So no, i'm not "making excuses." I'm just explaining.
😁 P R O M O S M
timbuktu was not built by black western africains but by caucasoid berber
The region was original founded as a seasonal outpost by Berbers, though they weren't necessarily "caucasoid." The Taureg and Sanhaja of that region are a very diverse group. Either war, Timbuktu developed into an urban center with distinct architecture as a result of various Mande peoples (who are black). The also built several other ancient and important cities like Gao, Jenne, and Dia.
New subscriber here.....Keep up the excellent work your doing here!!
Welcome to The Empire!
Islam architecture and cultures will never eve be called a black or any color.
Islam buildings and its people don't use those descriptions like black or white or African.
Islam is islam not African.
Oh really? Then I suggest you look up the Etymology of the words Sudan, Zanji, and Zanzibar. The Muslims have always literally referred to the lands south of the Sahara as "Lands of the Blacks."
The Mali "empire" was not even close to the most rich in the world at the time, and mansa musa is mostly a exagerated story, even if he had alot of gold, the Europeans, Arabs, Chinese, Indians were way more advanced rich and powerfull
I wouldn't say that given the assets were rarely backed up by anything tangible.
He was RICH not wealthy. Like certain foods are called rich.
😂Nuno double commenting so people can know he's racist.
No during that period Europe was weak and Arabia was rich and developing but was falling to modern Muslim control that began banning the sciences
Mali while apples to apples comparison is impossible as a battle in Africa they would have destroyed europe
And a battle in europe would have seen the African lose
They advancement of the civilizations was on par
If we take in areas of survivability into perspectives
Who could survive the most places without dying out
Africa being ahead of Europe and competitive to the Middle East
Asia was doing very well during this period as well
Based on the knowledge and capabilities of the period Africans could have survived in any area at this point with their culture and technology
Below Norway not due to winter but due to culture of the Norway being to supplement food with vit d
While Europeans would not be able to survive in Africa for a few centuries and even then only the southern and northern tips till modern times
Europe was struggling with plagues, the dark ages and not at all what it is today. Mali was not just part of the Muslim world, but a major contibuting part of it.
Mud houses have 0 aesthetical apeal lmao
Then why do they have aesthetic appeal
The British liked them.
And the French, a chunk of the middle east, so on and so on.
Cob and mud houses are literally considered some of the best looking non mansions
They are so loved that they were used globally because of the esthetic appeal
Only being limited in Europe due to being harder to manufacture then wood
Brick houses do fall apart over a few centuries but are aren’t bad either
@@djinnjax3274
Lol Norway loves its stuco
DAS RITE, WE BUILD IN MUD BUT WE WUZ BUILDIN WIT VIBRANIUM TOO MY KANG. OVA IN WAKANDA WE HAVE VIBRANIUM BUILDING DAS RITE!!!
Get a life it honestly a joke you spend your time belittling African history. From nothing should just block you
@@tompossessed1729 Nah it's funny because he's too much of an idiot to realize that Dr. Kangz that I have in my videos is literally just like him. He'd know that if he actually watched the videos but instead he decides it's a better idea to spend embarrassingly large amounts of time going out of his way to make himself look like an idiot in my comment section lmao. If he wants to give me ad revenue by being an idiot then that's his choice.
@@FromNothing DAS RITE!!
@@s6748-z5jwow, what a civilized response to a well researched video… typical coming from you
Fantaatic video