Tombs and Shrines of Saints in Sub-Saharan Africa from the 5th to the 10th Century AH (The Shrine of the Great Mosque as an Example)

Abstract

Through this research, we try to shed light on important aspects of the history of sub-Saharan Africa, including the extent to which African architecture was influenced by the architecture of neighboring countries such as the Maghreb, Egypt, and the south of the Arabian Peninsula, and the extent to which the kings and rulers of the kingdoms and countries of sub-Saharan Africa contributed to the development of that architecture by bringing in skilled engineers and architects and providing them with the appropriate conditions of building materials and labor to complete the architectural work, to show the Sudanese architectural style, which is in fact not a purely Sudanese style, but rather a style that combines the Moroccan, Andalusian, and Egyptian styles with the simple Sudanese architectural form and is known as Sudanese architectural art. We also show the impact of the entry of Islam into the region through the changes that occurred in the cemeteries and shrines of the righteous saints during the period from the fifth century AH to the tenth century AH.