Spread of Islam to Africa and Asia

1. Spread of Islam to Africa and Asia

2. What is “Dar al-Islam”? • The collective regions of Islam – “ Islam-dom” (cf. Christendom) • What do Mansa Musa’s Haj & Ibn Battuta’s journals reveal about the nature of “Dar al-Islam”?

3. African trends 1200-1400 • State building • 1) Mali, Songhay – created more from military power than ethnic/cultural unity •  2) Merchant city-states on west/East coast •  3) Portuguese in 15th century brought Africans into world economy more (slavery) •  4) Bantu migration continued  

4. African Societies: Diversities and Similarities • Diverse – some large centralized states to stateless societies • Differences in geography, language, religion, politics • Some spread of Judaism, Christianity & Islam penetrated continent, but not the norm

5. African Societies: Diversities and Similarities • Stateless societies/ local villages •   1. kinship and other forms of obligation •   2. council of families •   3. little concentration of authority •       - after internal dispute, can always leave and form new village • 4. But unable to mobilize for war, organize large building projects, create stable conditions for long distance trade

6. African Societies: Diversities and Similarities • religion – animistic religion •  - power of natural forces •  - ritual and worship • - dancing, drumming, divination, and sacrifice •  - cosmology – how universe worked •  - belief in creator deity

7. Spread of Islam Why was Islam attractive? •   Egalitarian teachings – all Muslims are equal •    Reinforced African kings authority •   Equal footing with Arab invader • Mostly elite adopted it

8. Spread of Islam The Christian Kingdoms: Nubia and Ethiopia (influence of Egypt & Axum) • “Islands” of Christianity left behind   •  Muslim invaders allowed them to keep religion – tolerance • Met resistance in Kush/Nubia – couldn’t push Islam further south

9. WEST AFRICAN SALT-GOLD KINGDOMS • GHANA • MALI • SONGHAI

10. Kingdoms of the Sahel Ghana, Mali, Songhay • Power over subordinate communities •  Collect taxes, tribute, military support •  Rulers separated from commoners through ritual – think “mandate of heaven”

11. The Nigeris one of the great rivers of Africa, stretching over 2,500 miles (4,000 km) in a great arc that extends northward from Guinea to Mali before turning back toward the south and making its way to empty into the Gulf of Guinea. • Makes the region inhabitable

12. All 3 kingdoms controlled some aspects of the famous Salt for Gold trade of Western Africa around the northern peak of the Niger River

13. Economy:Gold/Salt trade & agricultural production

14. Caravans traded southern GOLDfor Sahara’s SALTwith Muslims traders

15. Blind Salt  Gold Trade • How did it work? • How did the trade benefit the Empires?

17. GHANA • Gov’t based on Kings called “Ghanas” • Capital at Koumbi

18. Ghana culture Culture • Practiced tradition religions • Muslim traders introduced Islamto kingdom • Cavalry & iron weapons enable Ghana to dominate neighbors • Great wealth of the king and formal ceremony sets him apart

19. "The King adorns himself like a woman wearing goldnecklaces round his neck and bracelets on his forearms and he puts on a high cap decorated with gold and wrapped in a turban of fine cotton.”

20. “He holds an audience in a domed pavilion around which stand ten horses covered with gold-embroidered materials …and on his right, are the sons of the vassal kings of his country, wearing splendid garments and their hair plaited with gold.”

21. At the door of the pavilion are dogs of excellent pedigree. Round their necks they wear collars of goldand silver, studded with a number of balls of the same metals." • 10th century geographer Al-Bakri, quoted in Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West African History

22. Mali • Mali means “where the KING resides””

24. SUNDIATA: Early king - oral tradition tells his story • overcame great obstacles to oust an “evil” king... (ca. 1235) • Beginning of the Empire of Mali

26. MANSA MUSA: Greatest King of Mali - Hajj to Mecca; Introduced Islamic cultureto Mali

27. Mansa Musa’s haj “put Mali on the Map” Mansa Musa

29. Mali Culture • Rulers became Muslim • prosperous kingdom • Timbuktu became center of learning (university) &Islamic cultural center - contained Muslim art, mosques • Evidence of trip to the Americas?

30. 500 yr old manuscript from Timbuktu

31. SONGHAI • SUNNI ALI: conquered cities of Mali • expanded empire to include most of W. African savanna- • Songhai controlled both ends of the Salt-Gold Trade

32. ASKIA MUHAMMAD:Empire reached height - golden age of the western Sudan • Skilled traders, fishers, & farmers

33. Went on hajj to Mecca • Divided Songhai into 5 provinces, each with gov’t, tax collector, court & trade inspector • Introduced lawsbased on teaching of the Koran • warshipspatrolled Niger

34. The African Slave Trade emerges • “Here there is a certain place where slaves are sold, especially on those days when the merchants are assembled. And a young slave of fifteen years of age is sold for six ducats, and children are also sold. The king of this region has a certain private palace where he maintains a great number of concubines and slaves."Leo Africanus, Moroccan writer/traveller

35. Weakening of Songhai • Moroccan kingdom to the north launched continuous attacks • Moroccans wanted to control the gold source • destroyed the Empire • economic decline • internal fragmentation

36. The Empire of Mali • Sundiata, the “Lion Prince” •  Rulers supported Islam – encouraged obedience to ruler •  built mosques, attended public prayers, supported preachers • Created peace through loyalty, severely punished crimes  • Mansa Musa…       

37. The Songhay Kingdom • “masters of the soil”; “masters of the waters” •  1370, Songhay broke from Mali – gold trade •  Sunni Ali – ruthless, tactical commander •  Expanded borders, created administration • Mid-16th century Songhay dominated • Disrupted by Moroccan invaders • created unique brand of Islam - pagan/Muslim beliefs both believed

38. KILWA • Located on East African Coast • Independent City-State- not part of kingdom • Monopolized (controlled) gold trade with interior

39. Model drawing of Palace of Kilwa - Palace was destroyed by the Portuguese in early 16th century

40. Swahili Culture: • Islamic & African culture blended • Swahili language • Beautiful mosques Hail Mary in Swahili

41. Ruins of the Great Mosque at Kilwa

42. Culture of the Grasslands • Large states represented goals of elite family/group • leaders took names emir/caliph to reinforce authority • as advisors/scribes – Muslims helped with administration • maintained theocracy – spiritual and political leader

43. Culture • Many African societies matrilineal • Conflicted with Islam (patrilineal) • woman mixed freely in public, no veil  • Slavery always existed, Muslims • saw slavery as process in conversion • Used slaves as servants, laborers, soldiers, administrators, eunuchs, concubines •  Led to desire to enslave women and children; children of slave mothers freed

44. Global Connections • -more written records in Sudanic states and Swahili coast – Islam • Synthesis of African/Islamic values changed some Africans lives • Portuguese arrived in 15th century • Muslims and Portuguese intensified trade of ivory, slaves and gold

45. Islam comes to India • How different from previous invaders ? • Why the difference? • How and why spread of Islam different here than in Africa? • Raiza Sultan? • Impact of Tamerlane? • 1500’s – establishment of the Mughal Empire.