Steyn, Gerald2010-11-112010-11-112010-112002Steyn, G 2002, 'The Lamu house - an East African architectural enigma.' South African Journal of Art History, vol. 17, pp. 157-180.0258-3542http://hdl.handle.net/2263/15245Article digitised using: Suprascan 1000 RGB scanner, scanned at 400 dpi; 24-bit colour; 100% Image derivating - Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS3 - Image levels, crop, deskew Abbyy Fine Reader No.9 - Image manipulation + OCR Adobe Acrobat 9 (PDF)Lamu is a living town off the Kenya coast. It was recently nominated to the World Heritage List. The town has been relatively undisturbed by colonization and modernization. This study reports on the early Swahili dwelling, which is still a functioning type in Lamu. It commences with a brief historical perspective of Lamu in its Swahili and East African coastal setting. It compares descriptions of the Lamu house, as found in literature, with personal observations and field surveys, including a short description of construction methods. The study offers observations on conservation and the current state of the Lamu house. It is concluded with a comparison between Lamu and Stone Town, Zanzibar, in terms of house types and settlement patterns. We found that the Lamu house is the stage for Swahili ritual and that the ancient and climatically uncomfortable plan form has been retained for nearly a millennium because of its symbolic value.24 pagesPdfenArt Historical Work Group of South AfricaAfrican architectureLamu, KenyaWorld Heritage ListArchitectural conservationStone Town, ZanzibarLand settlement patternsSwahili dwellingsAfrican courtyard housesArchitecture -- Africa -- Kenya -- HistorySwahili-speaking peoples -- Dwellings -- HistoryLamu Island (Kenya) -- HistoryStone houses -- Kenya -- LamuCourtyard houses -- Kenya -- LamuStone Town (Zanzibar, Zanzibar)Article