After
1200 AD, The small Christian kingdoms of Nubia fall under attacks
from the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt, and from the arrival of Islamic
nomads. Among the last is the Christian Nubian kingdom of Alwa,
on the Blue Nile, which falls to the Muslims around 1500. They
then establish a new Islamic sultanate or kingdom called Fung.
Between 1300 and 1500 was the zenith of Abyssinian or Ethiopian
power, with the formation of feudal-type kingdoms in central
and northern Ethiopia. There is a flowering of culture, especially
literature in Ge'ez. The slave trade greatly expands in northern
Africa, Ethiopia, and the West African savanna. In 1529, the
Muslim state of Adal, under Sultan Ahmed, declares a jihad,
a holy war, against the Christian Abyssinians. Most of Ethiopia
is conquered, but in 1541, the Muslims are defeated with the
help of the Portuguese who landed an army at Massawa. Fighting
continues between Abyssinia and Adal. The Abyssinian King Claudius
is killed in battle in 1559. Sarsa Dengel rules as king until
1597.
Around 1200 AD, Ali al-Hasan was lord of Kilwa, a trading city-state
of the Swahili on the east coast of Africa. Trade routes across
the Indian Ocean and inland for gold and ivory are well established.
Some of the earliest known coins used in East Africa are minted
in Kilwa at this time. In 1260, the Husuni Kubwa palace is built
in Kilwa. In 1331, the Arab writer and traveller Ibn Battuta
visits Kilwa and describes it as a wealthy trading city.
By 1300, a number of new kingdoms arise in and around southern
Uganda, perhaps as a result of increased trade with the coast.
One of the most important is the Chwezi kingdom.
25
years ago / 50 years ago
/ 80 years ago / 125
years ago / 150 years ago
250 years ago / 400
years ago / 700 years ago
/ 1,200 years ago
1,500 years ago / 2,000
years ago / 3,000 years ago
/ 4,000 years ago / 5,000
years ago / 10,000 years
ago
