Islam in Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa: A Challenging Geography Large area with many different environmental zones and many geographical obstacles to movement.

Islam in Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa: A Challenging Geography

• Large area with many different environmental zones and many geographical obstacles to movement– Sahara Desert—North Africa

• World's largest desert

– Maghreb—northwest Africa • Coastlands and Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia

– Sahel—belt of grasslands south of Sahara– Sudan—just below the Sahel– Guinea—rainforests

• Along Atlantic coast from Guinea to Nigeria

– Congo—rainforest region of Congo River Basin – Great Lakes—series of five lakes– Southern Africa

Movement in Africa• Romans and Greek– Both knew of region: Greeks called it Periplus,

Romans called area Azania– Greek, Roman, and Persian coins of 3rd century CE

found in area• Three movements converge– Bantu Migration down East African

Coast– Polynesians of Indian Ocean – Arabic merchants along East African

Coast

Advent of Iron and Bantu Migrations

• Sub-Saharan agriculture• Origins north of equator• Spread southward

• Iron-working also began north of equator and spread southward• Reached southern Africa by 800 c.e.

Advent of Iron and Bantu Migrations• Bantu migrations

• Linguistic evidence• Spread of iron and other technology in sub-Saharan

Africa• Original homeland of Bantu was area on the border

of modern Nigeria and Cameroon• Spread out toward east and south through series of

migrations in first millennium CE• Introduce cattle, iron, slash-burn agriculture• By 8th century, Bantu-speaking people reached East

Africa

Movement in Africa

• Polynesian immigrants settle parts– Introduce bananas

• Muslim Arab merchants– Arab Muslims trade for slaves, gold, ivory– Link East Africa to wider Indian Ocean– Arab merchants take Bantu wives – Mixed families link interior Bantu, coastal Arabs

Early Islamic Movement in Africa• "Islam reached Africa through two gateways, from the

east and from the north. From both directions the carriers of Islam navigated across vast empty spaces, the waters of the Indian Ocean and the sands of the Sahara desert. Both ocean and desert, which so often are considered to be barriers, could be crossed with appropriate means of transportation and navigational skills, and they were, in fact, excellent transmitters of religious and cultural influences. Densely populated lands, on the other hand, functioned as filters, their numerous layers slowing down the infiltration of religious and cultural influences."--From Introduction to The History of Islam in Africa (2001)

Influence of Geography

• Sahara Desert, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean were not great barriers to the spread of Islam– Arabs lived, traveled and

traded in desert conditions for centuries before founding of Islam

– Since Arabian Peninsula is bordered on three sides by water, Arabs were experienced sea traders

Spread of Islam—Egypt• First African country under

the influence of Islam• Was predominantly

Christian for hundreds of years prior

• Under new Arabic speaking rulers, became Moslems – Small minority of

Egyptians remained Christian• Coptic Christians

Spread of Islam—North Africa• Arab traders took Islam west into area called Maghrib– Present day countries of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco

• Islam not automatically accepted by local Berbers– Did not become main religion

in North Africa until 12th century

• Arab rule followed Arab trade – Nowhere else in Africa did Arab political

control follow Islam

• Today, Arabic is official language of Egypt, the Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco

Spread of Islam—South • Down Nile River valley into

present day Sudan and Ethiopia

• Christian populations in Nubia (northeast Sudan) resisted expansion of Islam for hundreds of years

• By 15th century most of northern Sudan and Eritrea had converted to Islam

Spread of Islam—East coast • Conversion to Islam was slow process on east coast • Arab traders traded along east coast of Africa for

centuries before Islam• After Islam began, took religion

along with goods• By 780 CE Arab-Swahili Moslem

communities formed on coast

• By 1400 majority of coastal population (today Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania were Moslem

• 30-40 separate city-states along East African coast • "Swahili" used by early Arabs, means "coast“ • By 1st century BCE Arab and Indian traders

• Brought bananas, cloves, cinnamon and pepper• Left with gold, ivory and slaves

• Spoke African language enriched with Arabic and Persian vocabulary

• 8th Century CE• Settlement Arabs from Persian Gulf• Small settlements of Indians

El Zanj: The Swahili

Swahili Coastal Trade

• Trade Winds– Monsoon winds dictate all

movement– November to February: Indians

can arrive– April to September: Swahili go to

India

Primary Sources• The Periplus of the Erithraean Sea, a Greek Sailors’ Guide from

Alexandria, Egypt, c. 100 CE– "Two days' sail beyond the island lies the last mainland market

town of Azania, which is called Rhapta, a name derived from the small sewn boats the people use. 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.“

• From Compendium of Knowledge by the Chinese Confucian scholar, Tuan Ch'eng-shih, 8th century CE– “This country has not been subject to any foreign power. In

fighting they use elephant's tusks, ribs and wild cattle's horns as spears, and they have corselets and bows and arrows. They have twenty myriads of foot-soldiers. The Arabs are continually making raids on them.“

Swahili History• Swahili city-states– Muslim and cosmopolitan– Bantu, Islamic, and Indian influences– Politically independent of one another– Never a Swahili empire or hegemony

• Trade and economics– Cities like competitive companies, corporations

vying for African trade– Chief exports: ivory, sandalwood, ebony, and gold;

later slaves– Trade linked to both Arabia and India; even Chinese

goods, influence reached area

Swahili History• Social construct

– Arabs, Persians were significant players– Cities were run by nobility that was African in origin– Below nobility: commoners, resident foreigners– Large group of artisans, weavers, craftsmen– Slavery was actively practiced

• 16th century– Advent of Portuguese trade disrupted trade routes, made

commercial centers obsolete– Portuguese allowed natives no share in African trade– Began conquering Islamic city-states along eastern coast

• Late 17th century– Oman conquered Portuguese cities along coast – Area controlled by Omani sultanate for another 200 years– Cotton, cloves, plantation agriculture thrived and used slaves for

labor

Swahili Cities• Swahili garden cities

– Built around palaces, mosques– Walled cities – Many markets, harbors– Wealthy

• Built homes within walls• Endowed mosques, schools

– Muslims transplanted many different plants, crops to area• Gaspar Correa, sailor/mercenary describing da

Gama's arrival in Kilwa, 16th century– "The city comes down to the shore, and is entirely surrounded by a wall and

towers, within which there are maybe 12,000 inhabitants. The country all round is very luxurious with many trees and gardens of all sorts of vegetables, citrons, lemons, and the best sweet oranges that were ever seen… The streets of the city are very narrow, as the houses are very high, of three and four stories, and one can run along the tops of them upon the terraces… and in the port there were many ships. A moor ruled over this city, who did not possess more country than the city itself.“

Spread of Islam—Sahel

• Gradually spread southwards into Sahel region of West Africa and somewhat latter from East coast westwards into interior of East Africa

Spread of Islam—West Africa• Berbers traded across Sahara with West

Africans in Sahel (south of Sahara)–Traded salt and other

goods for gold and ivory • Nearly 1000 years before

Islam, West Africa had supplied gold to the Roman Empire

Spread of Islam—West Africa• Islam first introduced to West Africa south of the

Sahara across the salt and gold trade routes• By 12th century C.E., many Berber traders

converted to Islam• Moslem traders practiced religion but did not

actively try to convert West Africans• Eventually traveled with Moslem clerics and

scholars who interacted mainly with local rulers. – Provided advice on trade, security, and governing– Gradually, Moslem advisors became important to West

African rulers

Spread of Islam—West Africa• Conversion of majority of population could take

generations– Often took years for West African leaders to convert– After leaders converted, effort was made to convert citizens

• Gradual process– People adopted some Islamic practices and beliefs while

maintaining some indigenous beliefs and practices– Islamic practice eventually became more predominant– Shows openness and flexibility of both African indigenous

religious systems and Islam • When Mali replaced by Songhai, Islam had become

primary religion of Sahel

Spread of Islam

Movement and Trade in Africa

Major African Kingdoms

Mansa Musa (the Magnificent)

• Grandson of Muslim founder of Mali Empire• Mali was source of over half of world's gold• Made Islam state religion– Made hajj in 1324

• Gave away so much gold in Cairo that price of gold there was depressed for 20 years

• Gave so much he had to borrow money to pay for return trip

• Added Timbuktu and Gao to his kingdom– Made Timbuktu center of learning with a royal palace,

libraries, university, and mosques

• Encouraged trade between Mali and world – Resources of kola nuts, ivory, salt, and gold

• Swahili cities• Wealth led to centralization

of Zimbabwean government around 1300 CE

• Gold and copper• Easily mined and obtained

• Capital was Great Zimbabwe• Huge fortification surrounded by stone walls• Economy rested on agriculture, cattle herding,

and trade• Declined due to an ecological crisis brought on by

deforestation and overgrazing

Great Zimbabwe

•200 Square Miles

•Built consistently from 11th century to 15th century

•Estimates are that Great Zimbabwe had as many as 18,000 inhabitants at its peak

•Ruins at Great Zimbabwe are some of oldest and largest structures located in Sub-Saharan Africa

Great Zimbabwe

Islam in Africa