The Swahili is a community that rose from the intermarriages between the Bantus and Arab traders on the coast. Swahili is a modern word that gained popularity during the 19th century. Although many assume the Swahili adopted their culture from Arabia, modern archeological evidence disputes this idea. Instead, archeological evidence provides a review of the interaction between the Bantus, pastoral communities, farmers, and foreign traders. It confirms that the Swahili culture originated from these interrelationships.
The Swahili roots began with the Bantus, who migrated from their original homeland in Cameroon and journeyed towards the east African coast. This movement led to the diversification of farming and iron use in Africa. Meanwhile, history predates the origin of the Swahili from the time when Islam gained prominence. Islam comes from Periplus Mariu Erythraei, a Greco roman phrase. Before Islam gained fame, roman ships would trade with the Somalis, the coast of Rhapta, and Menouthis. People assume the latter to be Pemba and Zanzibar, while Rhapta to be the region of River Rufiji.
However, with time, the roman empire collapsed. This led to the rise of Islam hence the Swahili cities and towns expanded with increased trade. By the 11th century, the Swahilis had adopted the Islamic religion. However, according to archeological evidence, many Swahilis lived in southern Arabia, thus there is a possibility they adapted to their culture.
The Trade Networks
During the precolonial error, traders depended on the direction of the monsoon winds. From December to March, the winds blew northeast, while April to November southwest. This phenomenon allowed merchants to travel between Asia and Africa. Trading along the east African coast contributed to the growth of major towns and cities. Along the east African coast, the locals traded ivory, iron, wood, spices, and slaves. Ivory was the chief export. In return, they received luxury goods such as salt, pottery, cotton, and metal tools.
The coastal inhabitants would also export remaining raw materials to Asia by using Swahili ships. In exchange, they received silks and pottery. The fine silk was a common outfit of the coastal elites. The wealthy communities trade gold and ivory for cotton and kept the benefits. An example of a city that grew tremendously from trade was the city of Kilwa. This city could control gold traded from Zimbabwe.
The trade Networks were diverse since merchants sailed to China from Africa and many other parts. The pieces of pottery along the coastal region attest to the existence of a trade relationship with China. During those days, exotic pottery was a symbol of wealth. As such, the greater the number of exotic potteries one had, the wealthier they considered him to be. Rich Swahili communities built up large tombs and constructed stone buildings.
Society
Among the Swahili society, there were different social classes. The highest in the hierarchy were the Wangwana, who were the prominent merchants. Then followed by the Wazalia. This group comprised freed slaves whose children were free while mothers were slaves. The Watumwa came after this group, and they were slaves too. Lastly, were the Wageni, who were the recent visitors to the towns.
The Swahili community had various hereditary and political positions. An example is Mzale, who was the guardian of the soil who controlled the land rights. Another one was the Baraza ya wazee. This was a council of elders who would advise the Sultan when it came to making important decisions. Also, in the history of the Swahili, some powerful women were queens. An example is Mwana Mkisi, who ruled Mombasa during the 13th century. There was also the Queen of Zanzibar, who had a powerful alliance with the Portuguese in the 26th century.
Engineering
Though the merchants along the coast had money and craft workers, the unavailability of building materials (stones) was a major challenge for them. They had difficulty in putting up castles, tombs, mosques, etc. Therefore, the Swahili adopted to build using coral reefs. They would mine the corals from underwater.
Kilwa Kisiwani is among the cities that the Swahili built from corals. The level of artistry and innovation impressed the Portuguese. This is what they said:
” The city is large and is of good buildings of stone and mortar with terraces, and the houses have many woodworks. The city comes down to the shore, and is surrounded by a wall and towers, within which there maybe 12000 inhabitants.”
Medieval Kilwa had a lot of spectacular buildings. The Great Mosque is just but one of the examples, built in the 11th century and expanded in the 14th.
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