Islamic Influence

700’s to Present

Must Do

Do your last-minute preparations of the native legends and be prepared to present!

Words Worth Knowing

Sheik (noun) (also spelled Shaik or Sheikh)- an Arab leader, in particular the chief or head of an Arab tribe, family, or village.

City State: (noun): a city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state.

Ancient History

Very few records exist about pre-Arab east African coast, but:

Arab traders began arriving on Kenyan Coast ~ 1st Century AD.

The Bantus exercised power up and down coast- strong tradition of trade in ivory, slaves, textiles, and gold.

Described by Greek Explorers in 2nd Century AD:

“ Here there is much ivory and tortoiseshell. Men of the greatest stature, who are pirates, inhabit the whole coast and at each place have set up chiefs."

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Side Note: Periplus of the Erythraean Sea

Roots of Islamic Influence:There is no single date in the records, but it is thought that Islam had taken root by the 8th century.

● Most obviously from the Arab peninsula, which at one point is separated by less than fifty miles of sea from the Horn of Africa.

● Egypt, where Islam first came to North Africa.● Somalia further up the coast● ...and Persia. They are know as the Shirazis.

once people arrived they intermarried with the people of the coast very early on, forming a new kind of coastal society, the Swahili, with their

own architecture, style of dressing, and music.

Side Note: The Legend of the Shirazis!

Side Note II: The music, food, or dress of the Swahili

Swahili Culture

Religion: Islam

Language: Swahili (mix of Bantu and Arabic)

Government: Coastal cities had Islamic laws. Little to no central authority- in fact, tended to compete as separate city-states

Architecture- Mosques and tombs had unique style, with ornate carvings. Buildings were several stories and very beautiful.

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Swahilis: Peak, Decline and FallBy the 14th century, there existed about 40 rich Swahili African trading city/states.

Served as “middlemen” between interior traders and seagoing merchants

● Ivory, slaves, gold grain out● textiles, beads, weapons, porcelain in.

Kilwa, Zanzibar, Mogadishu were the most powerful kingdoms along the coast

But the power of Kilwa met a serious challenge in the late 15th century when the Portuguese arrived….

Side Note: Slavery in the Arab world, or the great Swahili Sultans!

Getting data from primary sources

Read the selected vignettes from Abu Abdallah Ibn Battuta’s travel journals.

Then, complete a TRE using one of the provided prompts, or make up your own!

● The Sultans of the Swahili city-states were often just and fair leaders.

● The Swahili City States, though rich, would be pretty disgusting by modern standards.

● The writings of Ibn Battuta are very helpful in learning the many exotic items which the Swahili city states traded.

Side note: the story of Ibn Battuta: Morocco’s Columbus!