Chapter 15

Section 3

SwahiliGreat ZimbabweMutapa

• 1100 waves of Bantu speaking people migrated across central Africa

• Established fishing and farming villages

• Muslim Arab and Persian traders settled in port cities

• Swahili-mix of Bantu and Arabic

1331 Battuta visited Kilwa

Admired Muslim rulers and merchants

Rich families lived in fine houses

Beds of ivory, meals served in porcelain

Women wore silk and had gold and silver bracelets

Kilwa was rich because it was south on the coast.

Farthest point that could be reached from India in one season

1200’s seized the port of Sofala

Trading center for gold mined inland

1488 first Portuguese ships rounded southern tip of Africa

Looked for sea route to India

Saw wealth of East Africa city-states

Portuguese took Sofala with cannon from their ships

Muslim traders introduced Islam to East African coast

Smaller towns had mosques

Muslim sultan or ruler governed most city-states

Most of east African coast held onto traditional beliefs

Also inland villages

Persian traders moved south to horn of Africa

Asia goods to Africa and back

1300 35 trading cities dotted the coast

West Africa seaports grew wealthy

Gold and ivory helped city-states grow rich

Shona people established Great Zimbabwe

Fertile, well-watered plateau

Well suited for farming and grazing

Important trade route linking goldfields to coastal Sofala

1000 Great Zimbabwe gained control of trading centers

1200’s to 1400’s thriving capital

Leaders taxed traders

Demanded payments from lesser chiefs

Became the economic, political, and religious center of its empire

1450 Great Zimbabwe abandoned

One theory grazing land worn out, soil worn out

People had used up al the salt

Knowledge comes from its ruins

Portuguese explores knew of the site in the 1500’s

Karl Mauch discovered the ruins in 1871

City in southern Africa

Means stone housesRoyal palace for

rulersGreat curving walls

around the ruinsConstruction took

400 yearsMostly for defense or

to impress visitors

1420 Mututa left Great Zimbabwe to find new source of salt

Traveled northMutapa- means

conqueror1500 Portuguese

believe it a title of respect for a leader

Origin of Mutapa empire

Conquered all of Zimbabwe

1480 Mutota’s son claimed an area from Zimbabwe River to the Indian Ocean

Mined gold

Conquered people forced to mine

Sent gold to city-states in exchange for luxuries

1500 Portuguese tried to conquer themThey tried to

influence politicsHad rulers

overthrownEuropean

interference in Africa