Question

In what ways did the expansion of Islam affect the prosperity of groups in East Africa? What does the rise and fall of Great Zimbabwe demonstrate about southern African kingdoms of this time?

Answer 1

Islam (like Christianity) was born in deserts or semi-deserts of West Asia. But unlike the latter which has left Asia to become a European religion (under Peter & Paul) Islam remained West Asian & encompassed the whole region. Islam's (or Islamic World's) prosperity lay in it acting as a trade intermediary Great Zimbabwe is a medieval city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe near Lake Mutirikwe and the town of Masvingo. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the country's Late Iron Age. Construction on the monument began in the 11th century and continued until the 15th century. The most widely-accepted ...

Answer 2

The eastern coast of Africa was in contact with Arab muslims for several years before a significant number of people converted to Islam. At the beginning, Muslim people were traders, and a small number of them established settlements on the shores of East Africa during the 9th and 10th century. These Arab people slowly disseminated the ideas of Islam into the interior of Africa.

The expansion of Islam affected the prosperity of various groups in this region. An example of this was the Kilwa Sultanate, which was established in the Swahili Coast by Ali ibn al-Hassan Shirazi. This sultanate achieved enormous wealth and success. Another example was the decline and abandonment of Great Zimbabwe due to the rising popularity of Arab kingdoms in Northern areas. The rise of these Muslim kingdoms led to a decline of trade in southern African kingdoms.