In the footsteps of history
Dating back to the 8th century, the traces of settlement found at Koungou are the oldest on the island. At that time, villages were scattered along the coast, built on promontories overlooking lagoons and mangroves and constructed from plant materials. A place of settlement and exchange, the coast is also home to some astonishing necropolises. Those of Antsiraka Boira, M'Tsanga Miangani and above all Bagamoyo, whose oldest parts date back to the 10th century, bear witness to the great sophistication of funeral rites and a highly codified organization of space. The vast site of Dembéni is home to the remains of one of the island's first permanent constructions: a coral stone base wall. From the 11th century onwards, the first Arab-Muslim chiefdoms appeared on the island, accompanied by the creation of villages with fortified enclosures, such as Majicavo or Acoua, whose urban model was organized around the mosque. Plant villages gave way to stone buildings.
During the sultanate period, Mayotte enjoyed a period of splendor. Its architecture reflected the wealth of the famous Persian clan of Shirazian princes who invested the island, while blending Arab, Swahili and Malagasy influences, testifying to Mayotte's place as a meeting point for the great cultures of the Indian Ocean. The Tsingoni mosque, in operation since the 16th century, is the finest example of this. Originally, the mosque was built from blocks of coral and beach sandstone, coated with sand and coral lime, with a mangrove wood frame and thatch roofing. Its layout, comprising a large prayer room separated from two aisles by imposing pillars, is a major innovation. The mihrab, the niche pointing to Mecca, is the most spectacular part of the mosque, with its geometric shingles in relief, enhanced with color, fluting and delicate arcatures. This decorative richness is echoed in the two Shiraz-inspired tombs outside the mosque, which impress with their faience-encrusted walls and coral-covered pyramidal domes. The ruins of the Polé mosque and its well supplying the ablutions basin, the remains of the masonry walls and basalt columns of the sultan's palace in M'tsamboro, and the tomb of Sultan Andriantsouli in Mamoudzou all bear witness to this prosperous period. Fortified in the 18th century, Dzaoudzi is home to most of the island's colonial heritage, of which the former governors' residence built in 1846 is the most famous example. The latter is a model of ingenuity and functionality. The residence comprises 8 square-plan kit houses, each with a single storey, a perimeter gallery or varangue for shade and ventilation, a 4-slope roof with overhanging eaves to keep out the rain and a ridge lantern for attic ventilation, and a fir-wood frame with brick masonry infill for excellent insulation. Only the residence's main house, converted in 1890, features a metal frame designed according to the principles of Gustave Eiffel. Erected on a platform in the perfect axis of the hospital, this house bears witness both to urban planning inspired by classical European codes, and to a desire to adapt architecture to the island's climate.
Little-known because it has largely disappeared, the industrial heritage associated with sugar production is also an important reminder of this colonial period. The village of Dzoumogné is still very much a part of this heritage, with its small marina where an old storage warehouse still stands, the road built along the line of the old railroad linking the factory to the jetty and, of course, the college built on the former factory site, from which its imposing chimney still emerges. Not far from Dembéni, the chimney of the former Hajangoua factory is still visible, as are the remains of a warehouse and loading dock in the heart of the mangrove swamp, testifying to the complexity of the infrastructure put in place at the time.
Traditional habitat
Most of the island's villages are built along the coast, on promontories in the heart of an ever-present natural environment. Their organization is the expression of a defined hierarchy within the community, as well as the expression of spiritual power. Inhabitants seek the advice of the mwalimou (seer) and fundi (spiritual leader) to determine the best location, as well as the best dates and times for building their dwellings. The Mahoran hut is usually north-facing, with the main opening facing east. The basic element of this traditional habitat is the shanza, the rammed earth plot on which the hut is built. The shanza is bounded by a mraba, an enclosure woven from raffia or coconut leaves. The hut, called a nyumba, is built on a framework of raffia or bamboo, with a cob infill of earth and plant fibers. It comprises two rooms or fuko. The men's room, fuko la watru baba, faces the street, while the women's room, fuko la watru mama, communicates with the inner courtyard via a varangue (veranda). This courtyard houses the storage granary(kanya) and the henhouse, structures of earth and plants on stilts, as well as the kitchen and the toilet and ablutions area.
While all of the island's huts are built using the materials that are abundant on the island (earth, bamboo, raffia, coconut palms), some have very distinctive features. The trotro hut, for example, is made of earthen cob on a wooden or bamboo lattice, while the walls of the kripi hut are filled with pebbles bound with cement mortar on a wooden or bamboo lattice. The buru hut is made entirely of raffia stems, while the mtsévé hut is characterized by a roof made of braided coconut leaves called uhandza. While the use of these natural materials reflects a constant concern for the environment, it also implies regular maintenance of the hut, which has to be partly rebuilt every 5 years, which is why sheet metal is increasingly replacing thatched roofs. In all cases, the Mahoran house is the property of the woman who welcomes her husband. But first, the husband will have shown his emancipation by building his own banga, a small one-room temporary hut with a wooden frame and cob walls, decorated with bright colors and numerous decorative elements designed to attract the attention of the female gender. Nothing is left to chance! Among the finest examples of this traditional habitat, don't miss the coconut houses of Acouoa, the mud houses of Hamouro, and the colorful bangas of Mtsangamouji. A change of scenery guaranteed!
SIM and the construction boom
To remedy the problem of precarious and unhealthy housing, which was on the increase due to constant demographic pressure, the Société Immobilière de Mayotte (SIM), created in 1977, launched an unprecedented project of state-subsidized, debt-free houses for modest families who would participate in the construction. This was the birth of the SIM hut. Initially, the structure was based on the traditional hut, but this time using solid materials. Gradually, new formats were introduced. The Cavani model has 2 communicating rooms and 2 varangues, while the Bandrélé model has 3 rooms. With or without shanza, semi-detached or detached, the SIM boxes are numerous. Once delivered, the house still needs to be finished. Trained by the Compagnons du Devoir, the owner is responsible for electrical work, interior painting and paving. For exterior paintwork, residents can choose colors from a palette created by SIM in partnership with painter Philippe Girard. Colorful and unique, SIM huts are one of the highlights of the Mauritanian landscape. The huts are made from an innovative material that is a forerunner in sustainable development: laterite, the soil of the island, transformed into compressed earth bricks. The aim is to keep imported materials to a minimum (concrete is used only for foundations and reinforcement against earthquakes and cyclones), and to give priority to local resources (brick masonry on a wooden frame). In response to this construction boom, dozens of brickworks were built on the island. SIM then gradually diversified its offering, creating housing estates perfectly integrated into the surrounding natural environment.
To complete these developments, major sanitation works were carried out, while the island was equipped with new urban infrastructures designed to improve living conditions for its inhabitants (paved streets, wells, fountains, wash-houses...) Mayotte was modernizing! The omnipresence of the SIM is reflected in the toponymy of towns and villages, all of which have "hundred villa" districts or "SIM streets". The importance of this heritage was recently underlined when the SIM huts in Mamoudzou's Sharangue district were listed as Historic Monuments. Threatened with destruction, they are now part of a heritage project designed to pass on local know-how and highlight the architectural qualities of a habitat designed in harmony with nature. Trévani, Cavani and Bandrélé are also fine examples. From the 2000s onwards, these traditional construction methods gradually gave way to imported materials, led by concrete breeze-block, in much larger, one- or two-storey houses with flat roofs. Polychromatic facades, balustrades with molded or openwork decorations, stylized pillars... the decorative possibilities of concrete are numerous. But despite the advantages of this new habitat, many people today see its limits and wish to combine this comfort with the key elements of traditional architecture: ventilation, light, the indoor/outdoor relationship and natural materials.
Contemporary renewal
Mayotte became a territorial collectivity in 1976, with an increasing number of public buildings, whether administrative, hospital or school buildings. Symbols of French administration, the first town halls were built in Bandraboua and Chirongui. It wasn't until 1989 that the island's 17 communes were given permanent town halls. Among the most astonishing, don't miss the beautiful ashlar town hall in Sada or the Alsatian-inspired half-timbered town hall in Koungou! One of the great architectural figures of this period was Léon-Attila Cheyssial, founder of the Atelier Mahorais d'Architecture. An advocate of ethno-socio-architecture, he imposed strict rules on himself: use of local resources in terms of materials (wood, basalt stone, mud brick), manpower and know-how; adaptation to the terrain without recourse to earthworks or cranes; adaptation of the building to the local climate and use of natural polychromy for better integration into the environment. The aim was to combine republican values with the traditions of Mahoran society. Léon-Attila Cheyssial designed most of the major buildings of the period, including : the Prefecture of Mayotte, with its geometric façade of stone, brick and wood; the hemicycle of the Conseil Général, circular in plan and built entirely of stone; the Collège de Tsimkoura,1st in France to be powered by a photovoltaic plant, whose circular structure recalls the curves of the Baie des Tortues; or the old hospital in Mamoudzou, whose original Mayotte stone and local wood are still visible in the new structure. Alongside these public buildings, Mayotte is also seeing the emergence of new mosques, which are constantly being modernized. While the first ones were very modest, often based on the structure of a traditional hut, the more recent mosques bear witness to a concern for grandeur, made possible by the potential of concrete and reflected in the construction of minarets, previously absent from the island. The latter have become veritable spiritual beacons, their whiteness a real eye-catcher. This grandeur does not detract from the sobriety of the plans and lines. Among Mayotte's beautiful mosques, don't miss those in Sada, Pamandzi or Kawéni.
Today, many homes are still self-built. That's why, at the beginning of 2021, Mayotte set up a Council for Architecture, Town Planning and the Environment, whose aim is to help residents live better. Aware of its assets, the island is also increasingly highlighting its know-how. Traditional housing and mud bricks were the stars of the Journées Nationales de l'Architecture in October 2021, in which Mayotte took part for the first time! The MUMA has a number of projects in mind to showcase this heritage, including the creation of a major museum complex in the former governors' residence in Dzaoudzi. At the same time, the island is seeing a proliferation of astonishing contemporary projects, such as those led by the Tand'M Architecture agency, which has completed the Petite-Terre Tourist Office. The latter will astonish you with its cladding made of recycled plastic flakes, its structure of boxes linked by a wooden framework and its roof of stretched canvas. The agency's other highly anticipated projects include the Hôtel Stenel in Mamoudzou, the Dzaoudzi media library and the Mob'Helios project, with its photovoltaic roof to charge vehicles. A constant concern for the environment is reflected in the major eco-district project in Dembéni by the Tekhnê Architectes et Urbanistes agency. With the town set to offer between 3,200 and 4,600 housing units by 2030, the agency has chosen a project where nature is omnipresent. Mayotte, an island steeped in tradition but looking to the future!
