Guest Editor’s Preface

Abstract

The growth of interest in Islamic archaeology in sub-Saharan Africa over the past 20 years has been significant. At the same time, the geographical area in which projects can take place has been considerably reduced due to conflict and political challenges, particularly across the Sahelian belt from eastern Mali to the western regions of the Republic of Sudan.  Much more archaeological research remains to be done on the growth of Muslim societies south of the Sahara, on the incorporation of indigenous religious elements into Islamic frameworks of belief and practice, and the wonderful diversity of Islamic and Muslim-influenced material culture, and it is hoped that more archaeologists, both from within the continent and outside Africa, will participate in its investigation.