The Bay of Boeny (Part 3) : ANTSOHERIBORY
Boeny - Boeny Bay attractions (Part 3)
(Source : Pierre cylinder and Adrien mile. Notes preliminary excavations and surveys in July-August 1966. Bulletin of the Malagasy Academy – Volume XLIV-II)
ANTSOHERIBORY : a counter antalaotra from Northwestern Madagascar
II. -Description of the island of Antsoheribory and the archaeological sites.
The island is off only by a kilometre and a half from the shore of the fishing Village of Boeny-Ampasy, It measures in its greater length (NO-SW) 2,500 km and 500 m on average in width.
In fact, only the central portion of the island and the northeast tip rigour opportunities for habitat ; the Southwest is submerged at high tide and is covered with halophile vegetation (grasses and mangroves). The inhabited area once covered barely forty hectares. The vegetation is composed of thorny (mokotry), Palm (SATRA) and Baobab with some tamarind.
The area that was occupied rises little above from 6 to 9 m maximum. Still involves we here for points the highest of the banks created by the buildings of today ruined buildings.
The coast has on its shores North and South as well as in the Eastern Cove of the beaches beach-Roch thick that former inhabitants were used as building material for the monuments that will be described. The South West is extended by an important Sandy bench, siltation is also noticeable on the Northeast part until 500 m off from the funds of the Cove. This is that the fishermen currently install their Wattles parks-traps in which the fish remains imprisoned when the tide drops.
The list of sites account 45 ancient tombs of different types, two remnants of stone house, a mosque. It should also indicate the existence of a place for the production of mortar, an accumulation of basaltic blocks unloaded near the northeast edge and especially of multiple tumulus marking box in plant funds.
-I SITE – is a mosque in ruins built in 35 m back from the north shore of the island. Its vestiges of walls of about 45 cm thick, on fitting of stones not deposited in layers and bound by a lime mortar, form a rectangle of 13,90 m on 8,60 m. A mihrab, of which remain only the foundations extend by 2 m the north end of this rectangle.
The position of the entries can be discussion. A withdrawal of the wall is in fact assume a, but it is likely that there also at the rear of the building as a stone worn by the rubbing of the feet, There was discovered. The roof was probably in plant. The trenches of excavations have highlighted of subsequent changes. The mihrab seems to have been rebuilt and the southern part of the larger mosque.
-SITE II - consists of two tombs attached to 45 m South's mosques. Entries whose Vault keys and the legs of the doors are decorated with a triple cut coral the way home are in the South. The burial to the West is better preserved. The long sides (5,60 m) included four panels, and the widths (4,60m) two.
The other more destroyed Tomb, still has parts of the huge roof bricked, collapsed.
