The coral buildings of Suakin

by Jean-Pierre Greenlaw

Remarkable and unforgettable, the previously unrecorded houses and mosques of the now abandoned island town of Suakin in the Red Sea off the coast of Sudan are the subject of this fascinating work. Prepared over a period of twenty years, the exquisite drawings provide a conspectus in minute detail of the traditional architecture of Suakin which, in its heyday, was admired by all who saw it. Built between the 16th and the 20th centuries, Suakin was a jewel-like example of the special sort of architecture which evolved to suit the conditions around the coasts of the Red Sea. The style consisted of two- or three-storeyed houses with vertical walls pierced by many-shuttered windows and characteristic mashrabiyas, and with roof-terraces (kharjahs) on which to sleep in the welcome coolness of the moon- or star-lit evenings. The outside walls of the buildings were white-washed, which set off the mashrabiyas and carved wooden doors which were surmounted by carved stone door-hoods. Its situatio