The Rise of the Swahili City-States

EARLY MODERN AFRICA and the WIDER WORLD HIST 1301 | History The Rise of the Swahili City-States East African coastal communities started taking part in Indian Ocean commerce in the seventh century. Geographically, the region was ideal for maritime trade. During summer, the dominant winds directed sailing ships northeastward towards the Indian coast, while winter winds drove them the other way. As a result, commercial ports expanded and a seasonal commerce emerged. The typical vessel in the area was referred to as a dhow, and it was constructed from planks of coconut wood joined by coconut fibre. It carried a lateen sail in the shape of a triangle, which was precisely fashioned to allow ships to sail both into and with the wind. Trading ports were prevented from extending the entire length of the African coast by the inability of dhows to navigate the harsher seas that approached the southern point of the continent, as well as the fact that the monsoon winds weakened as one descended farther south. Arab Muslim traders started to establish permanent residence in the area in the ninth century, and they frequently had intermarriages with the local African Bantu population. Arab traders were able to establish themselves in African coastal villages through marriages to Bantu women, and during their absences, the families of these wives assisted them in establishing business relationships and conducting commerce. Large numbers of Persians also made their way to the coast of East Africa in the eleventh century. Their citystates, which were mostly populated by craftsmen and merchants, expanded until many sizable port cities, including Mogadishu, Barawa, Mombasa, Malindi, Pemba, Zanzibar, Kilwa, Sofala, and others, were found along the coast that ran south from what is now Somalia (Figure 3.15). Because some of the cities were constructed on islands, it was simpler for them to conduct marine trade. Swahili, which combines Arabic and Bantu vocabulary with the syntax of African Bantu languages, was adopted by the coastal population. People from many different ethnic groups were able to trade with one another thanks to this shared language. Over a few centuries, the Bantu people who lived along the East African coast became Muslims. They found it simpler to communicate with Muslim traders in North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and India, as well as with Arab and Persian merchants and sailors who lived in East African towns, because they shared a same religion. Religious schools and mosques were constructed. The ninth century saw the construction of the first mosques. Nonetheless, the Swahili coast's interpretation of Islam makes allowances for the pre-Islamic customs of a number of the region's African civilizations. Ancestor reverence persisted in this syncretic version of Islam, as did the employment of magical rites to ward off ghosts thought to be the source of disease. In addition, women's position was maintained, which was not the case in other Muslim cultures like Persia. In the Swahili coast's towns, a wide range of goods were exchanged, including animal hides, expensive hardwoods like ebony and sandalwood, ivory, gold, iron, copper, and tortoise shells used to make combs. These products were transported by road from the interior of Africa via trade routes, where they were either bought by the locals for personal use or sold to other parts of Africa, Arabia, Persia, and India. The commodities may go even further to China or Southeast Asia from these locations. Potters and weavers in the cities produced goods that were marketed in Africa and other countries as part of the trade. These towns also saw an influx of Asian products, and the aristocrats living along the Swahili coast wore Chinese silks, ate porcelain, and embellished themselves with glass beads from India. Certain merchants adorned their residences' walls with porcelain fragments imbedded in them.