The East Coast 1
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Welcome to East Africa Level 1, Lesson 2: The East Coast 1
In this lesson, you will learn about:
The trade networks of the East African coast
The architecture of the coast
The major religion practiced in this area of Africa
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will understand:
The locations of the major coastal states
What was built within houses of the coast
The materials used to make buildings and ornaments
On the East African coast, many societies flourished between 1000 and 500 years ago.
Ancient and medieval cities remain spread from modern-day Somalia, through Kenya and Tanzania, and all the way down to Mozambique. These societies, like those of Central Africa, were city-states.
The city-states of the east coast traded across the Indian Ocean with the nations of Asia, with many Asian merchant ships docking to sell and exchange goods. Merchants were sailors who would trade products made by others, essentially acting as sales associates. East African ships would also sail to India and the Arab States to trade metal goods, ornaments, gold and leopard skins for clothing. These goods would then be sold further east in China. The East African States controlled this semi-global trading network, and this enabled them to blossom into powerful miniature nations.
This area of Africa was renowned for its incredible architecture. In Mogadishu in modern-day Somalia, houses were built that were four to five storeys high with large terraces. Swimming pools and the remains of indoor toilets have also been found from this time, with water pipes controlled by taps. Like the states of Central Africa, lots of East African societies became Islamic, and Mogadishu was home to many great mosques.
Africans in the eastern region had been making steel for thousands of years and were masters of woodwork. This not only made for great architecture but enabled the production of fantastic ornaments and items to be sold to the Middle and the far East.