Explore the Ruins of a Medieval East African Empire

[@atlasobscura]

As the year winds down, we're looking for suggestions of where to go next... let us know below!

[@catgirlhell]

SHOW ME MORE ESOTERIC AFRICAN CIVILIZATION!!!

[@lazerman121]

Bring back 100 wonders and add more videos about some of the locations already on your website. This channel need 1 million subs.

[@gus473]

Compare Navajo desert & Athabascan boreal cultures -- lots of similarities! More than a person might guess!

[@atlasobscura]

@@lazerman121 We're working on it! :)

[@atlasobscura]

@@gus473 Great suggestion. We'll pass along to the team! Thank you.

[@shaimpy]

Great job.. we know very little about Africa. Want to see more of it.

[@nword1380]

@ i hope you're joking "no mansa musa" without arabs? How did arabs make mansa musa? His kingdom and his wealth? The Malian empire had nothing to do with arabs until after mansa pilgrimage to mecca mansa was already the richest man in the world by then mansa wealth came from nowhere but africa he became the richest man in the world without European or arab influences so i dont see how without arabs there would be no great malian king as you state unless you're referring to the arabs he employed in mali as well as scholars and historians etc to come visit mali and add to there own growing knowledge in timbuktu? the first university created by Africans with books scrips etc coming from Africans asia European? Is that what you consider arabs making mansa musa? The king of mali? And you still want to claim africa waa nothing before arabs and Europeans cane? The bullshit eurocentrics try to spread Your ignorance is almost laughable if i didn't know it was hiding your agenda to downplay black people because i noticed you didn't mention any of the whiter areas of Africa being primitive shows your racist ideals doesn't it africans weren't just men throwing spears before Europeans and arabs came that's a myths that im disappointed people still believe do some research maybe watch the video you're commenting on for longer than a minute? Then you'd atleast have a better understanding that Africa wasn't nothing before the white man came over

[@nickcellini5609]

@@nword1380 They were occupied by the Persians back in the days of the Roman Empire. Around 650 Ad they were occupied by the Arabic Muslims, specifically the Umayyad Caliphate, until the 1500's when the Portuguese arrived. This was mainly a slave trading post for the Arabic world. From 1600-1800 The British brought 300,000 slaves to North America, the Spanish brought 3,000,000 slaves to the Carribean, South and Central America, while the Arabic Muslims took 30 million slaves from Africa in that same time period. Slaves sold to the Arabs were immediately castrated. since there were no coagulant medications nor any antibiotics most of the slaves would die from infections of their wounds within a year, which is why they took so many. The Arabs claim they took a million slaves a year from Africa since the mid 600's AD. During the time frame of 1600-1800 the Barbary Pirates took 2 million European slaves from coastal towns in the Mediterranean and off of boats they captured. As far as Mansa Musa goes, the official Mural of him, approved by him and his chosen wives shows him to be Arabic. Musa was the regional leader of the Umayyad Caliphate, which came from Syria and took over North Africa. During Musa's time it was "hit or miss" whether they allowed blacks to convert to Islam. Musa gained his wealth by having his slaves dig for gold. Musa took 28,000 personal slaves with him on his pilgrimage to Mecca. Musa paid Scholars to come to west Africa to educate him and his family and a few other nobles while the rest of the population, mostly slaves, stagnated and suffered.

[@supahotjoe6493]

@@nickcellini5609 Nope. West africa’s civilziation is 1500 B.C and the ruins at Dhar Tichit are dated at 2000 B.C. Ancient Nubia and Kemet (Ancient Egypt before the barbaric invasions of the hyksos ,assyrians, Romans, persians, Arabs and turks when it was still a back african civlization ref: 1974 UNESCO symposium where it has been proved it was a black african civilization from it’s inception all the way to -525 B.C (Persian invasion) ) are both almost 2000 years older than Greece and Romea and already civilized and rich when the romans and Greeks were living in barbarism and savagery (Not trying to offend anybody here) Heck even the kingdom of Kerma in Nubia is older than both Greece and Rome and kerma is not even the first Nubian civilization. The world’s first civilziation was a Nubian civilization called “Ta-Seti” which translate to land of the bow and was called like that by ancient kemites(that you westerns call ancient egyptians): www.ourweekly.com/2009/06/19/ta-seti-worlds-oldest-civilization/#:~:text=In%20the%20article%2C%20Rensberger%20wrote,have%20ruled%20about%205900%20BC.%E2%80%9D meobserver.org/ta-seti-the-unforgotten-land-of-egyptian-heritage/

[@arthurgwg]

"Kilwa is one of the most beautifully built cities in the world; the houses there are entirely made of wood, their rooftops out of rope grass, and it rains with great vigour." -Ibn Battuta

[@Myzenan]

not sure how yall have the money to keep making these amazing vids when they (very unfortunately) aren't getting the views that they deserve.. yall should start a patreon!

[@atlasobscura]

Everything starts small... we'll hit the Big Time eventually ;) Thank you for the kind words!

[@riyadhtours1645]

Really cool place, east africa has a very rich culture!

[@maxinemakenna1119]

Great video and thank you for honouring Africa with her true history, as the land of Kingdoms and empires.

[@katieintraining]

Very cool! I'm going to share with my World History students.

[@charmaine7700]

We really wuz Kings. Africans have always been great...rise again Mama Africa!

[@kalestanforde]

THE ANCIENT maps of the dutch show palaces and kingdoms all over africa, True fact.

[@VanLightning900]

Great Zimbabwe NEXT!!!

[@عقبةبننافعبنالقيسالفهري]

Beautiful proud of my heritage

[@عقبةبننافعبنالقيسالفهري]

I'm not swahili jus black btw

[@rosarihola7392]

Can't believe I am just now stumbling upon this channel. I've already binged all the videos within two days, new favorite YT channel!

[@atlasobscura]

Whoa! This is such a nice comment. Thanks so much for the kind words, and we're glad you enjoyed. Check back every Tuesday for more new videos :)

[@kivloli8385]

Can u look for the kingdom of Kongo

[@hiyahiy]

How about precolonial Asante kindoms destroyed by colonial devils?

[@長谷川恒男]

@@hiyahiy They didn't build long-tern structures made of stone, mostly they constructed using perishable materials like timber and bricks.

[@safuwanfauzi5014]

architecture very similar to oman and arabia. very similar to oman, yemen. fort base on arab omani or gulf arab-persian. and one thing is door style and crenelations/battlement it middle-eastern style. you can google middle eastern crenelations or oman crenelations

[@melvinskdkj8536]

@@safuwanfauzi5014 not really no

[@Taharquathegreat]

@@safuwanfauzi5014No arabs and persians don’t build in coral stone, that makes it african architecture. Unlike, greece-roman architecture which was nothing but a pathetic copy of Kemetic architecture (A. Egypt before the non black africans came) swahili architecture is totally unique using coral stone as building material despite influences from india and persia. The arabs arrived way later making it impossible to have been built by arabs. That is how I know you don’t know what you are talking about 🤡

[@b.k.5659]

In Kenya, there is similar ruined town called Kilimani, this means that the people of Kenya and Tanzania are one.

[@HisFinEco]

swahili people are one, not everyone in kenya and tanzania are swahili

[@b.k.5659]

@@HisFinEcoFoolish statement Swahili is not a tribe or people its a culture like Hispanic or Islam

[@gloriaklein4706]

@@HisFinEco swahili is not a tribe nice try

[@HisFinEco]

@@gloriaklein4706 okay, google or come to the Swahili coast and tell us we are not a tribe. do your research and come back. Swahili people or native swahilis exist. like Kurds, they may not have a country but the identity exists.... nice try

[@HisFinEco]

@@b.k.5659 I don't even know where to start with this statement. it's so idiotic but i will try to dispell your ignorance. firstly Islam is a religion not culture. it has influenced arabic culture and other cultures but its a religion first and foremost. secondly Hispanic culture is a loose term for the amalgomation of various indigenous cultures mixed with mainly Iberian(Spain & Portugal) culture. Swahili is not comparable to neither. Swahili culture originates in the swahili and is the language of the swahili people, who to this day are found on the swahili coast. Even though much of East africa speaks Swahili, due to the process of Swahilization that happened post colonization in East Africa, to this day all east africans know where swahili people and culture are found and that is on the swahili coast. before you comment make sure you know what the hell you are talking about, to save us from having to read you foolish comments

[@greenhornet8262]

Why did we not learn about this in school?

[@kaiserkong6587]

Probably because it didn’t pertain to modern western culture. If you grew up in Tanzania you would learn about it.

[@greenhornet8262]

Always on ok, so why do we learn about ancient China, or Ancient Greece and not this?

[@elijah7387]

Green Hornet Because Ancient Greece (along with Ancient Rome) birthed Western civilization. The Greco-Roman world shaped European architecture, philosophy, aesthetics, and values. Just look at Neoclassical art to see how a civilization thousands of years ago influenced 18th century European paintings. And let’s not forget about the Latin Alphabet...

[@bluebird5173]

​@@greenhornet8262 We learn about ancient China because the Chinese are currently a world power that wields heavy influence on global affairs, including the West (both historically and today). It's the same reason why we learn about ancient Egypt, India, the Near East, and the Mongol Empire. All of these civilizations are relevant to Western history even though they aren't part of the West. However, notice that we don't talk as much about the ancient kingdoms and empires of Korea, Japan, Indochina, Central Asia, or Maritime SE Asia because these civilizations had very little to do with the West before modern times. We also tend to ignore the civilizations of medieval Northern Europe and pre-Roman Western/Central Europe for similar reasons. I think a lot of schools in the West also ignore the history of pre-Columbian civilizations in Latin America for the same reasons. But in my case as an American, we DID learn about these matters because we have a significant Latino population, so it's relevant to them.

[@ethanmaxwellbrock]

Blue Bird that is not the whole story. ancient greeks interacted with, learned from and traded with sub-saharan africans from coast to coast for centuries so the notion that africa isn’t relevant to western history is false. also world history classes don’t have to include the west because there more to the world than the west and who europeans deemed important (not saying you agree)

[@timothyfoster4447]

We are the original people, Master builders

[@kaiserkong6587]

If having one fortress makes you master builders, what are the Europeans, Indians, Chinese and Mesoamericans?

[@stellamr4543]

@@kaiserkong6587 We don't only have one fortress, we have pyramids, we were the first to have fortified castles, we invented castle, we had castles made with corals, we had walls 4 times bigger than the Chinese Walls in Benin Kingdom and a lot of others unmatchable things. So yeah we are the masters builders

[@bingusbongus7313]

Stella MR The Normans built the first castles

[@stellamr4543]

@@bingusbongus7313 Ethiopians builded the first castles . Sorry not sorry. It's a FACT !

[@bingusbongus7313]

Stella MR No, give me a credible source and I’ll be happy to agree with you.

[@f.drachenfels4503]

I visited it long ago, unforgettable 😍

[@ludigomhagama4023]

The city was built by Bantu people called matumbi. Thus why pottery, enclave wood status are still making there in Kilwa and mtwara. Architecture is but of Bantu tribes like makua, makonde and so on. You see how building decorated is the same as enclaved woods statue made. Did Arab teach makonde to make woods statue??. Did white people teach Bantu to make pottery??. They steal our artifact and lie to us for longtime. Slave trade started because of skilled people of Kilwa kisiwani. They start to take them in order to go and build their cities. Thus why people was started to run away and live in the mountain forest. The name matumbi in Ngoni tribe language means hills or mountain.

[@obakeng1140]

Dear black child, you can do anything!

[@Zoo_Bee]

I know I am him

[@MoClasse]

I like the "UPSIDE DOWN" globe 🌍 in the background

[@totalmentemad]

This video is too short. It makes me want learn even further about this civilisation. But thanks for such informative content.

[@dontliveinsin]

Very good video. I sub to your email to. I think you should explorer more recent and past structures from around the world. This video is a perfect example.

[@ezthejedi]

This was dope bro, Can you do something bout the castles at condor in Axum??

[@atlasobscura]

Hm, we don't seem to have this in our Atlas Obscura database! We'll poke around and pass on to the team. :)

[@ezthejedi]

@@atlasobscura My bad I totally mispelled it, it's the Castles of Gondar lol

[@AMR_k400]

@@ezthejedi the castle's of gondor are found in gondor axum is a totally different place but it has ancient castles too

[@ezthejedi]

@@AMR_k400 Bro you def a Weeb for replying that lol

[@AMR_k400]

@@ezthejedi ☺

[@kymberlyp4056]

I’d love to see you do a segment on the famous mansions in Newport, Rhode Island and the cliffs they are on. I would also really enjoy you doing a segment on the leprosy colony on Molokai (Kalaupapa) where elders still live to this day. 🌴

[@atlasobscura]

We'll never say no to exploring a few mansions... also, Kalaupapa is a great suggestion. Such a tragic history for such a beautiful place. www.atlasobscura.com/places/kalaupapa-leper-colony

[@kymberlyp4056]

Atlas Obscura ~ Great article. I also signed up for your newsletter. Thank you. 🌺

[@Orion2525]

How Europeans questioned who built it when they saw first-hand who occupied it when they destroyed it. Lol

[@amonduul2154]

Not those europeans but europeans 200 years later

[@cyrusthegreat7030]

It was built my persians.

[@Taharquathegreat]

@@cyrusthegreat7030 here you go again. You are the same people who said you built Great zimbawe too right?? 🤣🤣 Nobody takes you euro-centrics serious anymore. The architecture used here is coral stone, you don't see coral stone buildings in persia, so that means it was built by the locals as that is their architectural style.

[@greatnilemedjaywarrior3155]

Nice there was Also Tree Medieval Nubian Christian Kingdoms Sudan Nubia Old Dongola check it out can do video of it

[@gellegrainja8872]

Bravo.

[@xyrocknirmou8699]

Makuria, Alodia and Nobatia ? (After the fall of Kush in 300 AD

[@histoiredelafrique3752]

Thank you, it is very helpful.

[@Olonne85]

It's kinda reminds me of Zanzibar, and in a lesser extent Grand Zimbabwe

[@safuwanfauzi5014]

@@rahimfaraji7647 they are arabs last rule or zanzibar was arab, so mombasa, dar es salam, kilwa, lamu before it was kick out, swahili itself are black and arab mixed lanuage and culture. noting special. zanzibar fort called arab fort, zanzibar palace, zanzibar stone wall are totally arab omani architecture.

[@HisFinEco]

@@safuwanfauzi5014 just because the last rulers were arab, doesn't make it arab. the are both swahili states, founded by swahili, yes they had arab influence but that doesn't make them arab.

[@JcoleMc]

@@safuwanfauzi5014 They were never Arabs .

[@debbieomi]

Thank you for including a link with photos and more info.

[@atlasobscura]

You're welcome! Glad we could help. :)

[@iamnotpablo]

Please explore the so-called Bakoni Ruins in Southern Africa...archaeologists seem altogether uninterested in them.

[@cameronneal932]

0:09 ain’t that just how history’s done😂😂

[@malcomdallaz8832]

I wonder y people always say that africans could never possibly build such buildings even the Egypt's pyramid, so y these people were so good for slavery

[@W44F]

Spoiled? You mean destroyed,this is part of the problem people are being too nice, afraid to hurt whit people's feelings

[@HeavyK.]

Ancient African technologies disappeared long before ”Europeans" arrived. They just forget to teach about ancient Africa civilizations.

[@shaneekaminniefield6129]

Not true. I'll share. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqTbpYWcq9l7jpI

[@skeletorsnan8161]

lol,no

[@Tijereño]

Well no considering that Kilwa was directly attacked and conquered by Portugal during a succession crisis.

[@AksamRafiz]

This is wakanda

[@djinnjax3274]

No, Wakanda is landlocked in the movies and the books. Kilwa is an Island in the Indian Ocean. If you want a real Wakanda look at the Kingdom of Mutapa and Rozwi Empire.

[@djinnjax3274]

@Ali Dangou More of a killjoy actually. Just ask Nicky.

[@larry2401]

@Easter Worshipper wrong again the swahili built the city's like that to attract trade from Muslims in the middle east and it worked

[@gellegrainja8872]

@Aki ra sudan, ethiopia.

[@gellegrainja8872]

@Aki ra - yep.

[@venayo]

nice

[@greatnilemedjaywarrior3155]

And who are the Sultan's were they African Sultans

[@長谷川恒男]

Yes

[@CoachDaddy802]

Islamic settlers and traders.

[@pacrat90]

Persian

[@Tijereño]

The original claim of birth was that the first sultan was half Persian descended from Mohammed and half Ethiopian descended from slaves. Also keep in mind that this is just for Kilwa. The system was (VERY roughly) like Classical greek and medieval Italian city-states, where each city had its own culture within the larger sphere and at varying times one city would establish hegemony over some or all of the rest. The founding stories of other Swahili cities will be different.

[@ajthestar4700]

Thanks a lot u helped me with work

[@karenotte5420]

Yes they did and it was finished I bet they took the rocks and go somewhere else with them

[@mrcapybara3579]

"Kisiwani" means " a well" "Shanga" means "beads"

[@vanbeet5105]

Kisiwani means "in an island"

[@ludigomhagama4023]

Kisiwa means island. I'm from TANZANIA.

[@BeyHappiness]

@@vanbeet5105 means a well’

[@vanbeet5105]

@@BeyHappiness I'm from kenya and i know that "kisiwani" means in an island. A well translates to "kisima"

[@safuwanfauzi5014]

architecture very similar to oman and arabia. very similar to oman, yemen. fort base on arab omani or gulf arab-persian. and one thing is door style and crenelations/battlement it middle-eastern style. you can google middle eastern crenelations or oman crenelations

[@karenotte5420]

I read it they were Iran and they spoke Hebrew and they changed their language and moved them to an island off of Africa from Iran Iran in the ones that are there now and Iran are Persians

[@larry2401]

@OD Chill he hasn't yet well he was probably speaking out of his ass

[@yungslash8616]

Why you speaking out of your a$$ 😂

[@karenotte5420]

@@yungslash8616 😴

[@cyrusthegreat7030]

Yeah it was built as a colony by persian merchants.

[@supahotjoe6493]

@@cyrusthegreat7030​​⁠No arabs and persians don’t build in coral stone, that makes it african architecture. Unlike, greece-roman architecture which was nothing but a pathetic copy of Kemetic architecture (A. Egypt before the non black africans came) swahili architecture is totally unique using coral stone as building material despite influences from india and persia. The arabs arrived way later making it impossible to have been built by arabs. That is how I know you don’t know what you are talking about 🤡

[@OFWGKTADGAF7]

Doesn’t get promoted on algorithim

[@timothyfoster4447]

We are not slaves,racist

[@michaelchacha9869]

If Arabs built them why are all these places named in Swahili?

[@kareemtheeb1478]

The name "swahili" is an Arabic name.

[@stellamr4543]

@@kareemtheeb1478 No it not, arab did not built this and it's have been proved. All the bodies find over there were black and historical sources said that the people of kill kisiwani were black dark skinned people. Swahili is not an arab men and the swahili language is apart of the bantu group, there is nothing arab in this. Stop taking our history from us, then Egypt , now Tanzania, what's next Sudan ? Mali ? Zimbabwe ? 50 years later I am sure you gone say Adam calendar (which is the first calendar of the world) was invented by whites or arabs too

[@landofpuntsomalia6150]

@@stellamr4543 wat u talking about swahili is half Arabic nd bantu

[@stellamr4543]

@@landofpuntsomalia6150 Swahili is a bantu language. People in Congo or Kenya talk a pure swahili language, people in Tanzania speak a swahili mix with arabic , persian and even, English portuguese I think because in this country they had a big arabic and persian influence with slavery but also a big European influence but this do not change the origin of the language which is BANTU; swahili people are bantus and speak a bantu language keep arabs out of this !

[@landofpuntsomalia6150]

@@stellamr4543 I'm not Arab I'm Somali but even in East African coast there a lot mixed with Somali,Arab European nd bantu but I heard the swahili is mixed as well

[@pacrat90]

Love these videos but you can't ignore the amount of ethnic distortion going on here, Swahili is a language - the indigenous "Swahili" people living there and the wealthy Arab traders that built this "empire" couldn't be further from one another.

[@gsutton78]

And what? You really think that the foundations of America and Britain were built solely by Europeans?? Because I assure you that they were not.

[@guilhermea2346]

1° that many of the Swahili cities already existed before the cultural exchange between these and Persians, or Arabs (these also having Persian influences). And lastly, Swahili architecture is unique because of the interchange between Swahili and Persian culture.

[@jhelm1712]

Arab colonizers who travelled Africa created all these .. Most of west Africa..

[@Madmires]

nope they didn't do more research

[@Tijereño]

Lmaooo no very wrong. You’ve got some more research to do. This is like saying that China created all of Japan.

[@psycho9815]

Pure bullshit right here

[@cyrusthegreat7030]

It was founded by persians go to the wiki.

[@forbiddenrecallskillinguss4012]

'do your research' I can't write that sentence anymore. It reminds me of gullible low IQ cope. I can do some 'research' and discover the Black kings of England and how Black people invented everything. Doesn't make it true. There is absolutely no chance the castle was built by Sub Saharan Africans. It was probably was built Arabs or Persians. The creators of that castle/civilization were probably as naive as the modern day Europeans and allowed Sub Saharan Africans to mingle there hence destruction of civilization.

[@Luzitanium]

ridiculous narrating, so it was fine to cherry pick influences from islam to appeal arab traders but it was mocking things up when the portuguese arrived? then it wasnt good to appeal to portuguese traders?? and that building looks like a Feitoria, very similar architecture of every forts the portuguese had been built BEFORE arriving to that area, how do you know it wasnt the portuguese who had kept it until the trade route lost its value?? why the locals and arabs didnt recovered it?

[@gsutton78]

But I doubt you have an issue with Europeans claiming they discovered America even though there were already civilizations existing there thousands of years earlier. Perhaps you're the one cherrypicking.

[@Luzitanium]

@@gsutton78 Europeans discovered America.

[@gsutton78]

@@Luzitanium Uh no. They CAME to America long after it was discovered and inhabited by other people. I know some of you have a limited capacity to deduce and accept such concepts.

[@Luzitanium]

@@gsutton78 well it wasnt America, but tribal land without rules, borders, states, order, civility.... if you dont get it then the issue is in that side not this.

[@gsutton78]

@@Luzitanium It wasn't America when Columbus first saw it either. Lol! Land with the descendants of people who built massive cities and amassed great wealth; both of which exceeded anything in Europe at the time. Moving around huge stones even without the wheel and even without a written language as they didn't need either. Now that's what you call brain power! If you can't grasp those facts, then the problem is most definitely on your side which is where it will stay.

[@mrhoryaal]

Those where somalis and omans

[@jabiye8593]

Yaa kuyidhi waxaas dadka tariikhdoodana makuhaysatan samalay

[@mrhoryaal]

jabiye Ilaahay Aqoonta HA Ku Kordhiyo Walal waxkale ku Odhan maayo

[@jabiye8593]

@@mrhoryaal bal ii faa'iide se bay somali ku dhistey qalcada kuyaala xeebta tanzania

[@長谷川恒男]

It wasn't somalis just traded there often.

[@RR-ri4vn]

@@長谷川恒男 Bantus did not built that place its Somali bro

[@meganmegan6214]

Slavery they were taken as slaves. That is why it was abandoned.

[@orjwanv5214]

Great history built by Arab Omani sultans who defeated Portuguese 👍🏼

[@malluk7064]

Didn't he say it was built by africans not arabs?

[@kaiserkong6587]

Mal Luk Yes and no. The arabs came to East Africa to trade during the Islamic golden age (700-1300 AD), which made the East African coast very rich. The arabs also brought Islam to the africans. The sultans of East Africa were almost all of african descent, although there were a few arab sultans, particularly after the Islamic golden age. So indirectly, the arabs made East African civilization possible due to trading for slaves, gold, tusks, wood, etc.

[@thecraplordsell4575]

Orjwan v no it wasn’t, stop trying to steal black history.

[@wiseguy240Winston]

Oh I see what you're doing and it's pathetic.

[@kareemtheeb1478]

@A. Siddharta We love somalis and we did not ever tried to take somalia. But Oman took the swahili coast.

[@easterworshipper730]

"even slaves" LOL specially slaves, son.

[@shockhouser3171]

I've been told that it was built by arabs and sultans were arabs too omani

It was not built by arabs for god's sake

[@Tijereño]

No, the first sultan claimed descent from Mohammed through Persia and also descent from Ethiopian slaves. Bantu cities along the coast had been trading with Greece, Rome, Persia, Arabia, Somalia, and India for centuries. This was a period of cultural diffusion from the wider islamic world into east africa. The religion was brought from abroad but its integration into their society was voluntary. The city of Kilwa itself was cosmopolitan and would have had a majority black population but also would have had Persians, Arabs, Indians, Somalis, and maybe even a few Europeans and Chinese. In that regard it was no different than any other trading city of its day. The cold hard fact is that Kilwa was an African muslin nation with an African muslim society. Their architecture was influenced by other areas but is indisputably African in origin and construction. The ruling class would consist of Africans and some other groups (normal for the time, everyone imported scholars) and Africans would occupy every level of that society (along with varying amounts of other peoples in different occupations at different times.) the conquest by the Portuguese and later the Omani Empires was a colonial venture. Portugal used them to control trade and the Omanis took it even further and started a plantation economy of cloves. Earlier foreign relationships were not colonial, but existed for mutual trading purposes. Arab influence =\= arab creation.

[@cyrusthegreat7030]

It was built by persians. Genetic evidence and the kilwa chronicle proves it.

[@RR-ri4vn]

The Arabs colonized that part it’s their ruins

[@dezzjays9568]

No they didn't

[@RR-ri4vn]

@@dezzjays9568 now why does it have so many Arab influences and one day it will have Chinese influence

[@OtherM112594]

@@RR-ri4vn The host just explained why. The Swahili people designed it with Arab influenced architecture to attract traders from the Muslim world.

[@safuwanfauzi5014]

@@OtherM112594 architecture very similar to oman and arabia. very similar to oman, yemen. fort base on arab omani or gulf arab-persian. and one thing is door style and crenelations/battlement it middle-eastern style. you can google middle eastern crenelations or oman crenelations

[@bleggedentertainment1275]

yeah the repercussions of 300 years of hiding history or lying about it brought you here saying that

[@thankuwelcome2153]

I cannot believe you compared this to Italy in any way.

[@abrihamabe7361]

Not the Italy of today, but that of the darkages

[@supahotjoe6493]

Italy in the dark ages just like the rest of europe was a place of barbarism savagery and misery compared to Africa which at the same time had the Mali empire, Swahili city states , Aksum, Kanem Bornou and others.