What culture was dominant in the Swahili city-states?
The early Swahili city-states followed Islam and were cosmopolitan and politically independent of each other. The chief exports of these cultures were salt, slaves, ebony, gold, ivory, and sandalwood.
What were the Swahili city-states known for?
From roughly 1000-1500 CE, the extensive maritime trade that connected China to the Red Sea was dominated by the Swahili city-states, trading cities along Africa’s east coast. These trading cities operated as their own governments and traded in practically every product that could be found between Africa and Asia.
Where was the Swahili culture?
Swahili culture is practiced at the coast of Kenya, Somali, Tanzania and the adjacent islands of Zanzibar, Comoros. Swahili culture and language can also be found in the interior of Kenya and Tanzania and further in Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi.
Did the Swahili city-states share a common culture?
The city-states were independent sultanates, although they shared a common language (Swahili) and religion (Islam). Collectively, the city-states are often referred to as “stone towns,” because many buildings were constructed using stone—coral blocks held together with mortar.
What is the culture of the Swahili?
It is the mixture of Perso-Arab and Bantu cultures in Kilwa that is credited for creating Swahili as a distinctive East African culture and language. The diverse history of the Swahili Coast has also resulted in multicultural influences on Swahili arts, including furniture and architecture.
What was unique about the Swahili city-states in East Africa?
By their height, the Swahili city-states were distinctly Muslim; they had large mosques built of local coral stone. The Swahili, regardless of their economic status, drew a distinction between themselves as Muslims and the “uncultured,” non-Muslim Africans of the interior.
What is the culture of Swahili?
What were two important city states in Africa?
The major autonomous, but symbiotic, city-states stretched over 1,500 miles from Mogadishu (in modern day Somalia) in the north to Sofala (in modern Mozambique) in the south and included Mombasa, Gedi, Pate, Lamu, Malindi, Zanzibar, and Kilwa. These city-states also exported natural resources.
Where were the Swahili city states located?
Swahili City States were trading states along the east coast of Africa, from Kenya to Mozambique. The Swahili City States provided and connected african raw material to the rest of the Indian Ocean world–Arabia, India, Persia, China and vice-versa.
What is coastal city states?
The Swahili coast is a coastal area of the Indian Ocean in Southeast Africa inhabited by the Swahili people. It includes Sofala (Mozambique), Mombasa, Gede, Pate Island, Lamu, Malindi, and Kilwa. In addition, several coastal islands are included in the Swahili coast such as Zanzibar and Comoros.
What religions do the Swahili practice?
This group was known as the Shirazi. Today, most Swahili people are Sunni Muslims. It is the largest group within the religion of Islam. The Swahili Coast peaked during the medieval period.
What is Swahili culture known for?
Swahili City States were trading states along the east coast of Africa, from Kenya to Mozambique. The Swahili City States provided and connected african raw material to the rest of the Indian Ocean world–Arabia, India, Persia, China and vice-versa.
What reglion were the Swahili city states?
By their height, the Swahili city-states were distinctly Muslim; they had large mosques built of local coral stone. The Swahili, regardless of their economic status, drew a distinction between themselves as Muslims and the “uncultured,” non-Muslim Africans of the interior.
When did the Swahili states begin?
The Swahili city-states were a series of coastal cities on the eastern coast of Africa. Established by the Bantu peoples in the second century C.E., the cities grew rapidly around the tenth century, when Islamic merchants began to trade with them.
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