a comprehensive book of recent scholarship on the Swahili coast. Examples of lingua francas are numerous, and exist on every continent. [8] Evidence for Indian Ocean trade includes the presence of pot shards on coastal archaeological sites that can be traced back to China and India. Swahili is the name of their language and means 'people of the coast.' These annual winds sparked trade in the region by lessening the risk of sailing and making it predictable. With its roots in the Bantu language, KiSwahili took shape with the arrival of the Arab traders from around the 2nd century AD. Much earlier in the day, in the city, we have small cups of kahawa, black coffee infused with cardamom and served with kashata caramelised peanut snacks. Swahili means people of the coast in Arabic. Swahili is a Bantu language heavily influenced by Arabic where the word Swahili comes from an Arabic word Sahil, to mean coast; so Swahili means coastal people. Its primary industries include tourism, raffia palm trees, and producing spices like cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, and nutmeg. [4] Houses were constructed close together which resulted in twisty narrow streets. SwahiliArabic script on a carved wooden door (open) atLamuinKenya. that they would export back to Asia. The archipelago is 25-50 kilometers (16-31mi) from the mainland. The Song of Lionogo: A Free Graphic Novel to download from the Smithsonian Institution. The new Central Coast Local Environmental Plan 2022 (CCLEP 2022) was finalised and notified on the NSW Legislation website on 24 June 2022. We have compiled every content from history, geography, government, culture, economy, people & more! Its melodies and orchestration have Arab and Indian influences, although Western instruments, such as guitars, are sometimes used. to download from the Smithsonian Institution. The most utilized modern example is English, [21] The coins found on the coast only have inscriptions in Arabic, not Swahili. As with the Swahili language, Swahili culture has a Bantu core and has also borrowed from foreign influences. WebZanzibar (/ z n z b r /; Swahili: Zanzibar; Arabic: , romanized: Zinjibr) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania.It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, 2550 kilometres (1631 mi) off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja The Arabic influence can be seen in the small cups of coffee that are available in the area and the sweet meats that can be tasted. The enslaved Zanj were likely transported from the more southern areas of East Africa. WebThe Swahili coast (Arabic: ) is a coastal area of the Indian Ocean in East Africa inhabited by the Swahili people.It includes Dar es Salaam; Sofala (located in Mozambique); Mombasa, Gede, Pate Island, Lamu, and Malindi (in Kenya); and Kilwa (in Tanzania). Probably, Swahili existed in some form before the coming of Arab, although with heavy influence by then. The Bantu traveled in two waves, and it is likely that the migration of the Bantu-speaking people from their core region in West Africa began around 1000 BCE. |. Microsoft is quietly building a mobile Xbox store that will rely on Activision and King games. Expansion and Decline of the Kushan Empire, 80. The Swahili coast was essentially an urban civilization which revolved around trade activities. (2018); The Swahili World, p. 2. A series of slave uprisings took place between 869 and 883 CE in Basra, a city of present-day Iraq, referred to as the Zanj Rebellion. While the spice plantations cultivated by the Arabs are largely defunct today, apart from a handful used in the tourism industry, these were once invaluable in the spice trade route and at a time, around 1812, even overtook Indonesias production when Zanzibar became the largest clove producer. WebIn 2005, there were talks to include Swahili into as the second official language as it was seen as neutral, however this is still not ratified by the government. (The Bantu languages form a subgroup of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family.) [14], It has been estimated that between 1450 and 1900 CE as many as 17 million people were sold into slavery from Europe, Africa, and Asia and transported by Asian slave traders through the Mediterranean Sea, Silk Road, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, and Sahara desert to distant locations. They evolved gradually from the 6th century onward to accommodate for an increase in trade (mainly with Arabmerchants), population growth, and further centralized urbanization, developing into what would later become known as the Swahili city-states. Microsoft is quietly building a mobile Xbox store that will rely on Activision and King games. By 1513, the sultanate was already fragmented into smaller states, many of which became protectorates of the Sultanate of Oman. Because of Kilwas intricate architecture, Ibn Battuta, an explorer from Morocco, described the city as among the most beautiful in the world. , esp. Effectively, it was a confederation of urban settlements, and there was little or no agriculture carried on in within the boundaries of the sultanate. They were also involved in the slave trade. Employment Pathways. The Swahili coast ( Arabic: ) is a coastal area of the Indian Ocean in East Africa inhabited by the Swahili people. Instead, Swahili designs are primarily geometric. [16][17] Kenya's capital and largest city is Nairobi, while its oldest, currently second largest city, and first capital is the coastal city of Mombasa. Omani influences on Swahili culture proved to be very significant. : a Swahili book of names (1993) by Sharifa Zawawi. The Swahili coast was essentially an urban civilization which revolved around trade activities. The Goans, Yemenis, Chinese and Parsis have all made small indents in the food scene too. It retains its urban fabric and townscape virtually intact and contains many fine buildings that reflect its particular culture, which has brought together and homogenized disparate elements of the cultures of Africa, the Arab region, India, and 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. Later during the 1st millennium, Bantu people migrated in huge numbers. a series of short online videos (2-5 minutes) highlighting the key items, trade and exchanges in the Indian Ocean. By 1832, the Sultan of Oman relocated his capital to Stone Town (the Zanzibar Archipelagos central city) from Muscat. Around 3,000 years ago, speakers of the proto-Bantulanguage group began a millennia-long series of migrations; the Swahili people originate from Bantuinhabitants of the coast of Southeast Africa, in Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique. They were Muslim, cosmopolitan, and politically independent of one another. These city-states began to decline towards the 16th century, mainly as a consequence of the Portuguese advent. World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500. By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. Several of these islands became very powerful through trade including Zanzibar and Kilwa. Eastern African History: African history in documents, ed., Robert O Collins. However, after the overthrow of the Portuguese by the Omani from the area between the late 17th to early 18th century CE, economic resurgence emerged in the city. As with the Swahili language, Swahili culture has a Bantu core and has also borrowed from foreign influences. Discipline. Around the 8th century, the Swahili people engaged in the Indian Ocean trade. The interactions that ensued led to the formation of the unique Swahili culture and city states, especially those facilitated by trade. Children and women were preferred as the primary roles of slaves in Asia were concubines and domestic servants. Chicken and beef are popular. The Swahili Coast on the shores of East Africa was a region where Africans and Arabs mixed to create a unique identity from the 8th century called Swahili Culture. KiSwahili Proverbs BU African Studies Center features ten advanced level Kiswahili lessons, each linked to a proverb with an improvised skit. The LibreTexts libraries arePowered by NICE CXone Expertand are supported by the Department of Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the UC Davis Office of the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions Program, and Merlot. Swahiliarchitecture, a term used to designate a whole range of diverse building traditions practiced or once practiced along the eastern and southeastern coasts of Africa, is in many ways an extension of mainland African traditions, although structural elements, such as domes and barrel vaulting, clearly connect to Persian Gulf area and South Asian building traditions as well. Educational Support. River estuaries underwater provided natural harbours, and the annual monsoon winds assisted trade. The Swahili people of the coastal region of East Africa have different activities as far as their culture is Fatumas New Cloth, Leslie Bulion. The scorning allegedly made educated Africans deny their relationship to the interior and proclaim Shirazi descent, including already converting to Islam. The history of the Fon people is linked to Technological Advancements under the Song. Swahili now contains many English words and has become the lingua franca of much of East Africa, spoken by more than 130 million people. In fact, many of the classic mansions and palaces of the Swahili Coast belonged to wealthy merchants and landowners, who played a key role in the mercantile economy of the region. Connecting the GEMS of the Indian Ocean: From Oman to East Africa An interactive free app from the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art (NMAA), World on the Horizon: Swahili Arts Across the Indian Ocean (Smithsonian NMAA), Sailors and Daughters: Portraits and Postcards of the Swahili Coast (Smithsonian NMAA) with a helpful pedagogical tool Reading Portraiture: Guide for Educators (National Gallery Guide for analyzing visual clues). We show our respect and acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Dharawal Country, Elders past and present, and extend that respect to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. [22] Mangroves were important as they provided wood for boats. 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. Monday: CLOSED Husuni Kubwa or the Great Fort of Kilwa has proof of a pool, gardens, and trading activities. Swahili language, a Bantu language official in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes; Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa; Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili people; Swahili coast, a littoral region in East Africa Swahiliarchitecture, a term used to designate a whole range of diverse building traditions practiced or once practiced along the eastern and southeastern coasts of Africa, is in many ways an extension of mainland African traditions, although structural elements, such as domes and barrel vaulting, clearly connect to Persian Gulf area and South Asian building traditions as well. Although parts of the Swahili Coast remained under Omani control, European colonialism eventually brought an end to slave trading, and more generally undermined the Swahili's [26] He encouraged the creation of clove plantations as well as the settlement of Indian traders. Regardless of financial status, the Swahili had an apparent variation between them and the people from Africa mainland who were uncultured according to the Swahili. The Zanj revolt was a rebellion started by slaves against the Abbasids for 14 years. When discussing past groups, referring to Swahili (in the sense of ethnic identity) to past populations is anachronistic. 30:15) , Coast and Conquest: History of Africa with Zaineb Badawi BBC History of Africa Series focused on Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique. Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices. The Swahili world (2018), edited by Stephanie Wynne-Jones and Adria LaViolette, a comprehensive book of recent scholarship on the Swahili coast. The Arab influence is also seen in the Swahili language, architecture, and boat design including food as aforementioned. Island of Zanzibar. archive on the same site features thousands of deeds of Omanis in Saudi Arabia and East Africa. There are speculations that coins were minted along the Swahili coast from the mid 9th century until the end of the 15th century CE. [32] The historian P. Curtis said about Islam and the Swahili coast, "The Muslim religion ultimately became one of the central elements of Swahili identity. The elite families were essential in shaping the Swahili urban lifestyle through embracing Islam, forming a Muslim ancestry, funding mosques in the region, promoting trade, and applying women seclusion. In addition, teachers of Islam are allowed to become medicine men; having medicine men being a practice carried over from local tribal religions. The religion of Swahili culture is mainly Islam. Swahili architecture exhibits a range of influences and innovations, and diverse forms and histories interlock and overlap to create densely layered structures that cannot be broken down into distinct stylistic parts. 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