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The Lamu Archipelago off the coast of Kenya remains one of the few places where traditional craft practices continue to thrive, having shaped the architectural identity of the East African coast for centuries. Yet even here, the knowledge of local builders and stonemasons is under threat, increasingly displaced by modern materials and contemporary building methods. Experts from the Faculty of Arts at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen are therefore working in Kenya to capture these unique historical techniques. Led by Monika Baumanová from the Department of Middle Eastern and African Studies, the team focused its ethnoarchaeological research on the more than thousand-year-old tradition of coral limestone construction.

“Our research concentrates on the complete chain of traditional production – from stone quarrying itself, through the construction of walls or mangrove-wood ceilings, to detailed decorative plasterwork,” Baumanová explains. Her team has been dedicated to this specific architectural tradition in Kenya for a second year. Using a 360-degree camera, the researchers create extensive visual documentation, but the techniques are primarily recorded through in-depth interviews with community elders and master craftsmen.

Coral stone architecture is iconic for the Swahili Coast region. The first references to these techniques date back at least to the 10th century. Their greatest flourishing, however, came between the 14th and 16th centuries - the same periods when Charles IV ruled the Czech lands and the Hussite Wars took place. Archaeologists have uncovered traces of this type of construction at dozens of sites across East Africa. While the tradition has nearly disappeared elsewhere, some of these techniques are still preserved in Lamu.

The importance of the Pilsen team’s research extends beyond both the region and the university. The British Museum will incorporate the results into its digital archive. Through its prestigious global database, the institution seeks to document material culture and endangered forms of knowledge and skills that are gradually disappearing under the pressures of globalisation.

In addition to Monika Baumanová, the research team includes technical assistant Jiří Kodl and anthropologist Jasmin Mahazi from the Berlin-based Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient. The project has been supported by the British Museum’s Endangered Material Knowledge Programme (EMKP), co-funded by the Arcadia Foundation, which focuses on protecting cultural heritage and nature. Further details about the project are available here.