Gone with the wind. Urbanization and deurbanization processes in the medieval Muslim Horn of Africa: the case of Handoga (Djibouti)
Handoga (Dikhil, Djibouti), a medieval city in the Horn of Africa (13th–15th centuries), exemplifies an alternative urbanization model shaped by nomadic identity. Despite its stone-built structures and permanent settlement features, the city’s circular domestic spaces, minimally curated agricultural...
| Autores: | , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repositorio: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:digital.csic.es:10261/424523 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/424523 https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/105015183113 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Horn of Africa medieval nomadism Urbanism |
| Sumario: | Handoga (Dikhil, Djibouti), a medieval city in the Horn of Africa (13th–15th centuries), exemplifies an alternative urbanization model shaped by nomadic identity. Despite its stone-built structures and permanent settlement features, the city’s circular domestic spaces, minimally curated agricultural tools, and portable imported goods highlight its inhabitants’ preference for mobility and adaptability, while funerary practices reflected regional nomadic traditions rather than sedentary Islamic urban centres. Through archaeological survey and excavation, the analysis of material culture, and the application of spatial syntax (gamma analysis), this research has concluded that Handoga’s rise coincided with the decline of the Ifat Sultanate, suggesting it flourished as an opportunistic hub during disruptions to established trade routes. However, the re-establishment of state control and stabilized trade routes by the 15th century led to its abandonment. Therefore, Handoga challenges conventional urbanization narratives, illustrating how socio-political contexts and cultural values influence urban experiences, emphasizing the transient and adaptive nature of urban identity in nomadic societies and how urbanism is opportunistically adopted, reverting to nomadism as soon as sociopolitical conditions change, a phenomenon of deurbanization that can occur in other chronological and geographical contexts. |
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