The Swahili/Zanj empire thread

Livale

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To begin with, our education system is flawed. How can schools teach more about WW2, a fight between hapless marauding Europeans than they teach about our history?

This thread is to pay homage to the Swahili empire, perhaps our finest hour yet as East Africans showing a distinct culture, enterprising people and great cities (at that time)

Here are some of these cities

Zanzibar (stone town)



Manda bay



Quelimane

 
Lamu
Located on Lamu archipelago, Kenya, Lamu is estimated to have been one of the original Swahili settlements established in 1370. A UNESCO world heritage site, it is billed as the best preserved Swahili settlement to date



 
Mombasa ​
Established at around 900AD, Mombasa along with Kilwa, Malindi and Zanzibar were the largest Swahili cities since medieval times. Its founding was by Shehe Mvita and Mwana Mkisi. The city is still currently a very key coastal city having the regions largest port and being Kenya's 2nd largest city at 1.2m ppl (2m for the metro)

The city is best remembered for having bitterly resisted Portuguese invasion despite hearing of the atrocities carried out on Kilwa by the Portuguese. It even briefly regained independence with help of the Turkish and Somali



 
Barawa
Located in southern Shebele of Somalia, it was regarded as the furthest stretch of the Swahili world. It was founded in 900AD

Barawa had a tumultuous history, having being taken by the Arjuran empire then Sacked by the Portuguese in the 16th. Century. Soldiers of Bardheere Jama'a took the city in 1840 on their quest to discovery a direct sea route but then fell back to Swahili hands via control by Zanzibar. Italians however forced the Sultan of Zanzibar to hand Barawa and any other Banadir city to the Italian Co

 
Faza
Known by the Portuguese as Ampaza, Faza was established at around the 14th Century

It was destroyed in 1587 by a Portuguese punitive mission which killed anyone on sight for Faza had supported Mirale Bay, a notorious pirate who had helped oust the Portuguese from Muscat. The local Sheigh was beheaded and his head preserved in salt for display in India



 
Siyu/Kisingitini
Located on the North Coast of Pate Island, the town dates to the 13th century

Siyu is known for having withstood the sultans of Zanzibar and Oman in several battles, including the mighty Seyid Sayid. In fact, Seyid's greatest military defeat was in the hands of Siyu in which Seyid's greatest warrior, Amir Themed was slain. Amir was said to be so fast with his sword that he would stop all arrows shot at him in the battle field. Siyu was only defeated when Seyid Sayid lied to almost all Siyu leaders to come for. a peace mission in Zanzibar only to massacre them


 
Shela
Shela dates to the 15th Century and is located in the Lamu archipelago in which little of the city is known

In 1813, the Pate elite allied with Oman's Mazrui clan tried to invade and subjugate Lamu. A battle was fought at Shela where the invasion failed totally marking the start of the rise of Lamu and Shela. Shela's golden age was from 1829- 1857



 
ingependeza kama ungekuwa unaweka maelezo ya kihistoria japo kwa ufupi kuhusu hayo maeneo ulitupia kwa picha.
 
game over said:
Kwenye huu Uzi ungetumia Kiswahili Ingependeza
Click to expand...
Hapo ukanena ukweli kaka.

Ila ningependa pia mtu asiye mswahili ambaye angependa angalau kujua mawili matatu Kuhusu huku kwetu asiweweseke.

Ila hilo hoja zuri mkuu, kutumia kimombo kueleza Uswahili ni sawia tu na kuendeleza ukoloni mambo Leo. Hapo nimerudi hatua nyuma
 
Zanzibar mji mkongwe
A city of prominent importance in East African history, it is estimated to have been settled at 6th Century. It is located in Tanzania as a semiautonomous region called Zanzibar of which it is the capital

The Portuguese conquered and ruled the city for close to 2 Centuries, but towards the end of the 17th Century, the sultanate of Oman conquered Zanzibar and made it their capital. This heavily improved the city's fortunes making it a major slave port and at its greatest extend claiming control over much of the Swahili coast. The 19th Century saw the city become a major spice hub, though lose control of the major Swahili cities like Mombasa which became major rivals



 
Was a capital of Oman empire n her Stone Town city is a World Heritage n the Standard Swahili used today is the derivative of Zanzibar swahili chosen by East African Swahili council in 1950s.
 
Geza Ulole said:
Was a capital of Oman empire n her Stone Town city is a World Heritage n the Standard Swahili used today is the derivative of Zanzibar swahili chosen by East African Swahili council in 1950s.
Click to expand...
That is true indeed. You contributions are most valued for I may not cover everything

Ukipata something about Kilwa including a pic, do post. Watoto na wajukuu wetu wasizeeke wakijua our civilization only began here after colonialism
 
Malindi



Malindi is the 2nd largest coastal urban area in Kenya located on the mouth of the Galana river

The first written reference to the present day Malindi likely comes from Abu al-Fida (1273– 1331), a Kurdish geographer and historian. He wrote that Malindi is situated to the south of the mouth of the river, which begins in the Mountain of Comr hundreds of kilometres away. This mountain may be Mount Kenya , where Galana River originates. Therefore, Malindi has existed as a Swahili settlement since at least the 13th century.
 
good thread. hoping will learn a lot from our Swahili culture.
 
Kilwa (my favourite)





Kilwa is an archeological city-state site located in Kilwa archipelago of Tanzania

It was occupied from at least the 8th century AD and became one of the most powerful settlements along the coast. At its height, it claimed control over almost the entire Swahili coast and trade connections with India and China. Kilwa minted its own coins from 1100AD lasting 500yrs to 1600AD. This stopped when Vasco Da Gama extorted wealth from the city and I'm 1505 ordered Fransisco de Almeida to invade and occupy the city
 
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