Space, place and meaning in Northern Riverain Sudan : focus on the determinants of house form and layout

Abstract

This is a section of an on going study on ‘Space, Place and Meaning in Northern Riverain Sudan’. This research eco-systemically identifies and analyses the spatial and physical features of settlements and buildings along the Nile Valley in Northern Sudan. The problem is articulated through the study of selected artifacts and inter-disciplinary interpretation is attempted. The intangible remains of the Funj, post-Funj eras are compared with the tangible remains of the Nubian and Christian eras. The ‘house’ is seen to be a vital unit where the attitudes of a society are fully manifested, thus several of the themes investigated in the research revolve around the house, such as the symbolic relation between the house and the tomb, the influence of the cardinal directions on house layouts and reading people’s attitudes to ‘house’ or ‘habitation models’ in local poetry, songs and sayings. It is found that spatial mappings of social themes are relatively unambiguous and that non-traditional symbols and practices are reconciled with the traditional in a never-ending symbiotic process. This skill has been important for the original inhabitants of the region as, due to the strategic location, they have always had to contend with new visitors, as peaceful migrants or invaders. With the gradual arrival of the Arabs starting in 642 AD, new power relations emerged, which resulted in differences in gender-related sub-divisions and different social hierarchies. Yet, the spaces became more multi-functional when they were previously mono-functional. Also, surprisingly, there were less physical sub-divisions, which didn’t correspond to the more elaborate social segmentation that emerged due to new socio-political dynamics. Barriers became social rather than physical. It could be argued that the reasons were economic or climatic. In archaeology, these are easily observable determinants of changes in house form. While the importance of economic factors is not undermined, it is seen that the impact of cultural change