[EN] This article presents an overview of the current situation of the medieval Islamic archaeology of the Horn of Africa, paying especial attention to the role of the medieval states that for more than three centuries were able to integrate peoples with very different beliefs, lifestyles, languages and ethnicities. The study combines historical and archaeological sources to analyze a specific case in western Somaliland, a region where nomads and urban dwellers –two groups with very different material cultures- lived together for centuries. The analysis of the relationships between these two groups is the base for a proposal to define a framework to understand how the Muslim sultanates were able to generate a cohesive superstructure that provided a remarkable stability for the region during the Middle Ages.

[ES] Este artículo pretende ofrecer una visión general de la arqueología medieval musulmana en el Cuerno de África, poniendo énfasis en el papel de los estados medievales que durante más de tres siglos fueron capaces de integrar poblaciones con creencias, estilos de vida, lenguas y etnias muy diferentes. El estudio combina fuentes históricas y arqueológicas para analizar el caso específico del oeste de Somalilandia, una región en la que grupos sedentarios y nómadas con culturas materiales muy diferentes convivieron durante siglos. A través del análisis de las relaciones entre estos dos grupos se plantea una propuesta sobre el modo en que los estados musulmanes fueron capaces de proporcionar unas marco estable y cohesionado para la región durante toda la Edad Media.

This paper has been written with the support of the MEDLANDS project. “Medieval landscapes in the Horn of Africa. State, territory and materiality of the Adal Sultanate (15th-16th centuries AD)” is a project funded by the European Union Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (H2020-MSCA-IF-2017). The Incipit-CSIC project is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the Palarq Foundation.

Peer reviewed