WHI-Chap19-Obj4

What was the relationship among the Swahili City-States, the Indian Ocean trade routes, and Muslim merchants and rulers?

In African history, the eastern coast of the continent was much more prosperous than the western coast. This was due entirely to trade.The Swahili city states, located along this coast, served as the middlemen between the central African ivory and slaves and the Muslim traders coming from the coast of India. Muslim influence in east Africa was extensive. In fact, Swahili stems from the Arabic word Sawahil, meaning coastal dwellers. Many Swahili kings and their societies converted to Islam. They did this not only to facilitate trade, but also to avoid being sold into slavery, as Muslim traders were less likely to take Muslim slaves. The Muslim traveler Ibn-Battuta, upon visiting the Swahili city of Kilwa, reported that the local rulers consulted with scholars from Persia and Arabia. In many city states, there were mosques and Muslim schools. Although Islam was very influential throughout the Swahili city states, they maintained their traditional indigenous beliefs.

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