Guy Shared 44 Mesmerizing Examples Of African Architecture

Byzantine, Gothic, Baroque, Modernist… We’re familiar with many different styles of ‘Western’ architecture because they’re celebrated and rightly so. Ottoman-style mosques, as well as the pagodas of East Asia, are also recognizable, as are the temples of the pre-colonial civilizations which flourished in Central and South America.

Nevertheless, the Great Pyramids Of Giza aside, the glories of African architecture are often shamefully overlooked. Sadly, this is a symptom of a more significant problem overall where the rich diversity and culture of the African continent is mostly glossed over in international media. Most of them reporting from the continent focuses just on issues which reinforce negative stereotypes – those of disease, poverty, and war.

There’s much to appreciate about pre-colonial Africa – that’s barely ever mentioned outside of history books. Up to 10 thousand different states and autonomous groups with distinct languages and customs existed, and several advanced kingdoms and empires – like the Mossi Kingdom, the Asante Union, and the Zulu Kingdom – thrived before Europeans arrived with their slavery, guns, and religion.

A Twitter account called ‘Igbo Excellence’ decided it was time to showcase some among the best African architecture, and his thread went viral since people appreciated those overlooked gems.

Beginning with Nubian – an ethnolinguistic group of Africans indigenous to present-day Sudan and southern Egypt thought to be one of the earliest cradles of civilization, Igbo Excellence posted examples from different areas and eras of African history, reminding people of the long and varied histories of peoples all over this vast continent.

Africa didn’t escape communist-era brutalism, with this monolith below dedicated to Angola’s first president Agostinho Neto towering over the skyline of the capital city, Luanda. It commemorates the president’s contribution to the overthrow of Portuguese colonial rule over Angola, that became a self-declared socialist state from its independence in 1975 until 1992. Angola’s current flag is said to be inspired by the Hammer and Sickle.

Somali architecture is a rich and diverse tradition of engineering and design, as Bored Panda reports. Spanning the ancient, medieval and early modern periods in Greater Somalia, it includes the fusion of Somali architecture with Western designs in modern times.

Swahili architecture is a term used to designate a variety of diverse building traditions practiced or once practiced along the eastern and southeastern coasts of the continent.