islamic influence -...
TRANSCRIPT
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."
Yar
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!