CHAPTER 9: TRADING TOWNS OF THE EAST
AFRICAN COAST TO THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY
KEY POINTS

The origins of east African coastal trading society
Azania: the east African coast to 500 CE
The Land of Zenj: the east African coast to 1000 CE

The growth of Swahili trading towns
Origins of the Swahili
The gold trade and the rise of Kilwa
The political economy of the Swahili trading towns
 The Portuguese on the east African coast, 1498 –
1600
 Madagascar
The origins of east African coastal trading society
Azania: the east African coast to 500 CE





1st century Greek handbook: The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea,
referred to Azania
Referred to market towns and African exports: ivory, rhino horn,
toprtoise shell, coconut oil
Red Sea traders supplied cotton cloth, iron implements, wheat and
wine
Reference to ‘Rhapta’ – possibly Rufiji delta
Azanians were experienced coastal fishermen, using dugout canoes
and boats of sewn planks

They were probably peoples of the early Iron Age: they certainly
were by 5th century
The Land of Zenj: the east African coast to 1000 CE
















Spread of Islam: shift of centre to Bagdad brought Persian Gulf into
Indian Ocean networks
8th century, some Shi’ite refugees from southern Arabia settled EA
coast
Presence of Arabic speakers eased trade relations
Arabic name: ‘Land of Zenj’
Monsoon winds set seasonal trading pattern (see Map 9.2)
Northern towns (Mogadishu to Lamu islands) ports of call for transocean dhows
Further coastal trading southwards left in hands of local Swahili
traders
9th & 10th centuries: increasing demand for ivory and gold: more
Muslim merchants settle in coastal towns, marrying into local
families
Coastal trading towns from Mogadishu south to Comoro islands
Mostly on coastal islands (Zanzibar, Kilwa): involved in trade, but
still primarily African towns, cattle-keeping, domestic housing
Similar local Iron Age pottery style throughout coastal region,
suggesting cultural unity
Mainly exporters of raw materials (ivory, ambergris, mangrove
poles)
Mainly importers of manufactured goods (Chinese and Persian
pottery and glassware, Indian silks and cottons)
Small number of slaves exported – ‘Zenj revolt’ in Basra (868 CE)
Some local manufacture of beads and cotton cloth
Quotation from al-Masudi’s visit of 916 [see main text p 132]
The growth of Swahili trading towns
Origins of the Swahili





Kiswahili: from Arabic sahil/sahel (‘coast’): Bantu language with
Arabic additions
By 10-14th centuries, Swahili refers to distinctive coastal
society:Islamic in religion and some culture, African in language
and personnel
From 10th – 11th century: increasing demand for gold from Fatimid
Egypt
Expansion of coastal trade, increasing Muslim influence on culture
Rectangular houses and mosques of coral rock


Prosperity of ruling elite, minting own coins for local coastal trade
Fatimid dinar the currency of international trade
The gold trade and the rise of Kilwa





1050-1200 Further immigration from Oman and Persian Gulf –
tradition of origin from Shiraz
‘Shirazi’ settle in northern towns, and northerners move south, also
claiming the status of ‘Shirazi’ heritage
Rise of Kilwa because of gold trade from Sofala: Kilwa
southernmost port for Monsoon sailing
Gold from Zimbabwe, via Sofala in hands of local Kilwa merchants
By 1200 Kilwa able to break domination of Mogadishu over
international trade
The political economy of the Swahili trading towns











Large towns: Mogadishu, Pate, Mombasa, Malindi, Zanzibar, Kilwa
Built entirely of coral rock, mainly Muslim population
Small towns (more than 30), only a few stone buildings, only ruling
elite Muslim
Large towns under independent sultans, with authority over smaller
neighbours
Ruling class wealthy with many luxuries: import and export duties
up to 50 per cent
Kilwa and Mombasa manufacturing of beads and cotton cloth for
interior trade
Kiswahili-speaking, distinctly African craftsmen, artisans, clerks etc
Lived in rectangular mud-brick thatched houses
Adjacent mainland: traditional African farming and fishing villages
Trading relations between island and mainland usually good, but
some powerful sultans (e.g.Kilwa) conducted periodic raids
Trading rivalry between trading towns, but rarely any violence
The Portuguese on the east African coast




1498, Portuguese first Europeans to enter Indian Ocean (from south,
around southern Cape)
On route to India, saw wealth of Swahili gold trade and determined
to seize control of it
Portuguese sailed warship into harbour, demanded submission and
tribute, and if denied, bombarded the town
Saw this as a holy Christian war against the ‘Moors’ (Portuguese
name for north African Muslims, and their general name for all
Muslims)







1503, Zanzibar bombarded
1505, Kilwa and Mombasa sacked by Francisco d’Almeida [see
p140 for quote]
Portuguese fortresses erected at Sofala, Mozambique Island and
Kilwa
They hoped to gain control of the Zimbabwean gold trade
Defiant Mombasa sacked again in 1528 and 1589
Portuguese built Fort Jesus at Mombasa, completed 1599
It became their east African headquarters
Madagascar








Uninhabited until sometime after 100 CE
100 – 400: settled by Austronesians and Bantu-speakers – they possibly
arrived together from east Africa, where the Austronesians had brought
the banana
Further Bantu-speaking east African later settled west and south
Further Austronesians possibly as late as 1500
Austronesians brought rice and banana cultivation and rectangular
house-building
Africans brought cattle and other farming practices
By 1000 CE, Swahili traders settling north-west coast – Arabic-speaking
traders brought ideas of kingship and dynasties, but adopted locally
evolving Malagasy language
In some areas of south Bantu languages remained until at least 14th
century
© Kevin Shillington, 2012