Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa

Abstract

The Islamic archaeology of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa remains largely unexplored. This chapter reviews research that has been completed in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Somaliland, providing a survey of the main sites that have been investigated. Relevant research themes that have emerged such as rural and urban landscapes, Islamization, trade, diet, and epigraphy are also considered within these geographical sections. The main routes for Muslim contacts from the coast to the interior are evaluated. Primary focus is given to research in eastern Ethiopia, exploring Islamization via archaeological evidence. This is indicating significantly entangled inter-African and international connections as well as allowing reconstruction of regional settlement and trade patterns involving the transfer of material, objects, technologies, and ideas. The importance of results of recent archaeological analysis in Somaliland is also highlighted in facilitating understanding of various categories of sites and particularly in relation to past nomad lifeways. Finally, future directions for research are considered.