ipl-logo

The Swahili Corridor

1578 Words7 Pages

The Swahili Corridor was the largest trade route of the tenth century, with a power that can only be compared to the power of an empire. The use of trade routes can be seen throughout all of human history. Trading effects the political, economical, and the cultural viewpoints of everyone involved, whether direct or not. Today’s world would not exist if not for the development of trade in the tenth century. During the tenth century, the Swahili Corridor was at full power, creating trade routes that connected East Africa to China and the Mediterranean world. At the same time the Holy Roman Empire was continuing to grow and the Byzantine Empire was at its peak. The Mediterranean World was flourishing. This height of power also called for wealth …show more content…

The Swahili Corridor did not develop its power over night. It started out as small communities of people living along the east coast of Africa. Most of these communities were small, but several grew to house around 10,000 people in them. These people built boats to travel along the coastlines. These boats allowed for the communities to have contact with each other, creating a common culture that linked them together. Before the ninth century, all these settlements were made of the native Africans with no foreign settlements. This did not mean there was no foreign influence at all. By the ninth century, the elite members of these settlements converted to Islam. This can be seen through the evidence of small mosques present in the settlements. Average settlements had around 500 members and the mosques themselves only held around 20 people at a time suggesting that only a few, or the …show more content…

Due to political instability in the failing T’ang Dynasty, trade with China also began to fall causing a drop in Ivory trade. The East African settlements began to fail as well due to the drop in trade. Merchants from the Red Sea took advantage of this decline and began to create trade between the Mediterranean world and the failing East African settlements. This the official ride of the Swahili Corridor. The settlements began to grow again in wealth. This growth is shown by the architecture of houses. Buildings began to spring up, made out of lime plaster and shaped, deep-sea coral. This sudden growth can be attributed to the ties with the Red Sea Merchants who also used such building

Show More
Related
1085 Words | 5 Pages

This allowed for then to trade with Arabia as well. Furthermore, they were on the trade route that connected them to the Indian Ocean allowing for trade to happen with civilizations in India. A civilization called Kilwa was connected to an east African see route that led to the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and along the Indian Ocean. They traded animal skins gold and ivory all treated by land routes. Some of the land routes throughout African civilizations what are the routes between Zimbabwe and Mombasa, Kalwa and Zimbabwe, Askum to Zeila, and Mombasa to Safala.

Read More
101 Words | 1 Pages

Around 300 and 1400 BCE Africa had many achievements, but then the Europeans showed up and mess everything up. Acording to documents one and eight, it shows many trade routes that had been developed throughout Africa and now it is an important international trading center. In documents two and three wealth was an important thing in Africa that had contributed to many things that was used in so many ways in Africa. In documents two, four, five, six, seven, and eight there were many rulers and travelers throughout Africa that had many influences on Africa achievements, that had eventually gone downhill.

Read More
1641 Words | 7 Pages

Africa Before European Domination DBQ Before the 15th and 16th centuries, when the Europeans arrived, Africans developed several advanced civilizations. For instance during the early 300s, kingdoms, empires, and cities in East Africa arose and declined. More specifically, in West Africa, 3 empires: Ghana, Mali, and Songhai took control of the gold and salt trade. Cities on the east coast gained power and wealth through trade as well.

Read More
498 Words | 2 Pages

Due to their differences in geography, they depended on different things. The Eurasian Silk Roads depended greatly on political stability to keep trade going. The Trans-Saharan trade routes depended on political stability as well. The Indian Ocean sea lanes depended on technology such as ships and the compass. Trading along the Indian Ocean sea lanes was much safer than trading along the Silk Roads.

Read More
1328 Words | 6 Pages

This is which were controlled by many pastoral peoples, for the agricultural a products and manufactured goods a of the warmer, well-watered lands of outer Eurasia. Another reason behind the emergence of the Silk Road commerce was also the construction of classical civilizations and their imperial states. These classical civilizations invaded the territory of the pastoral peoples, thus leading to the securing sections of the Silk Road and providing security for merchants and travelers. The Silk Road was then kept going for several centuries by the constant support form later states saw that also benefited from the trade. There was also a need for hard-to-find luxury items desired by the elites across Eurasia that gave the Silk Road a sustained purpose.

Read More
209 Words | 1 Pages

Extensive trans-cultural commerce occurred as well. Inventions such as crossbows, paper, and gunpowder were traded across the majority of Afro-Eurasia. Many cities, including Tashkent and Kalgan, relied on the business that travelers from the Silk Roads brought. Additionally, many regions shared languages, cultural attitudes, and religious motifs. The Silk Roads truly connected Afro-Eurasia, bringing new recourses and innovations to each

Read More
1537 Words | 7 Pages

“Chapter 8 Learning Guide – Commerce and Culture” “Main Idea 1 – Eurasia was home to one of the largest and extensive networks of trade throughout all of history. The most famous trade network was the Silk Road” 1. “Silk Road – Definition”: • An ancient system of roads and trade routes throughout regions of Eurasia that connected the East and the West and were important in spreading culture and ideas. 2. “Why did the Silk Road begin where it did?”

Read More
465 Words | 2 Pages

Trade has been a driving force in global history, shaping societies and economies across the world. It helped bring in many resources to other countries through cultural diffusion and opened new opportunities for citizens. Nevertheless, trading has also caused overproduction in certain areas and limited resources available. Trade has been shown in global history through Middle Eastern trade routes (Document 1), Timbuktu during the height of the Mali Empire (Document 2), and Caravans from the northern coast (Document 2). Trade had a significant impact on culture and society.

Read More
918 Words | 4 Pages

There were many changes and continuities along the Silk Roads between 200 B.C.E. and 1450 C.E., such as the growth from a small trade web between pastoral and agricultural peoples into an extensive and sustained network of transcontinental exchange, the creation of large and powerful states that provided security for merchants and travelers, and the continuation of the same purpose, to facilitate the exchange of goods and cultures between diverse groups of people. The origins of the Silk Roads lay in both history and geography. Eurasia is often divided into two geographic zones, Inner Eurasia, consisting of a dry, harsh climate, and Outer Eurasia, consisting of a warm, wet climate suitable for agriculture. The Silk Roads began as a tangle

Read More
700 Words | 3 Pages

In document one, the enduring issue of Interconnectedness is shown through the Mongol Empire, and how trade and their knowledge would contribute to Interconnectedness. The Mongolian Empire helped establish trade routes that would help trade flourish in their Empire, and help their

Read More
807 Words | 4 Pages

In North Africa the Berber merchants were one of the major groups that traded with Sub-Saharan West Africa through the Trans-Saharan trade routes. The Berber merchants played an essential part in dispersing the Islam and its traditions into Sub-Saharan West Africa since they frequently used the Sahara to trade. When Islam made its way into Sub-Saharan West Africa, it was absorbed into their society but unlike in other societies, Islam merged with the existing animistic culture. A majority of the Sub-Saharan West African population didn’t convert to Islam but remained animistic. The people who converted were merchants and elite rulers.

Read More
482 Words | 2 Pages

There are four different powers. Political, economic, military, and religious are all effective in our lives. The two forms of power that have been most effective throughout history are economic and political. These two powers are important because economic power had to do with all the trade that was doing now and political power since someone had to control the land and the people.   First effective form of power is economic.

Read More
1020 Words | 5 Pages

This tangle of trade routes and connections between these empires and people is what began the evolution of cultural diffusion into something that we still experience today. It is an ongoing exchange across countries, lands and

Read More
1183 Words | 5 Pages

This grew an ability to reach and reconnect with countries through trade. With this newfound ability, it led to inheritance of unique cultures and ways of life. Within in this trading empire other benefits were starting to form. In Document 9 it describes how trading dispersed understanding of many topics. In the document it states, “Finally our commercial vocabulary itself preserved...

Read More
544 Words | 3 Pages

Trade in the classical civilization was a significant impact that shaped so much of the coming world. China was a strikingly impactful civilization when it came to trade. China used the Silk Road to trade, it connected China to the Middle East and Europe. China’s way of trade began a way for other civilizations to interact with one another. They traded all the goods that they produced such as medicine, silk, pottery, paper, gunpowder, gold, rugs, and more.

Read More

More about The Swahili Corridor

Related Topics

Open Document