City-States of Eastern Africa

SWAHILI COAST

By 1100, Bantu-speaking people had migrated to the east coast. Villages grew around trade between East Africans and traders from Persia, Arabia and India.

Language… Arabic blended with the Bantu language to create SWAHILI (swah-HEE-lee)

By 1300, 35 trading cities dotted the coast, including Mogadishu, Mombasa, and Kilwa. Trade…

They grew wealthy by … – controlling all incoming and outgoing trade. – manufacturing goods for export.

Islam spread through trade. Most rulers, government officials, and merchants were Muslim. The majority of the people along the coast held on to traditional religious beliefs. Religion…

GREAT ZIMBABWE

The Shona People Bantu-speaking people who claimed the area of Great Zimbabwe. Benefits of the area…. – Fertile, well-watered plateau – Well-suited for farming and cattle raising a n d…

Near an important trade route that linked the inland gold-fields with the coastal trading city of Sofala Leaders could tax traders along the route, and became wealthy

The city was abandoned by Left behind 60 acres of ruins. Zimbabwe means “stone enclosure” The walls were 36 ft tall & 15 ft thick

Most of what we know about the area is from studying the ruins.