The Abbasid Caliphate: The Golden Age of the Islamic Civilization
The Abbasid Caliphate came after the Umayyad caliphate, in 750 CE, lasted 5 centuries and was one of the largest Empires in the world at its peak.
Historic Accomplishments
Kilwa Sultanate: a state based in Tanzania which traded as far as Australia
The word Kilwa translates loosely to Island. The full name of Kilwa Kisiwani, translates in Tanzanian to Isle of the Fish. The Kingdom of Kilwa is known as one of the great African empires in history. It existed from 960-1513 CE, and was based in Tanzania. In its heyday, its wealth and trading prowess was …
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Makuria: Humanity’s Longest Observed Peace Treaty, The Baqt
Makuria was successor state to the Nubian kingdom. The kingdom of Makuria comprised of a region along the Nile River; encompassing the area between today’s Aswan in southern Egypt and Khartoum in central Sudan. The kingdom existed between 500 AD to the middle of the 14th century and had its capital as Dongola which was …
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The First Kingdom in Southern Africa: Mapungubwe
The Kingdom of Mapungubwe was a pre-colonial state in Southern Africa located at the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers, south of Great Zimbabwe. Its name, translated roughly from the Shona language, means “Hill of the Jackal”. It flourished from the end of the 9th century to the beginning of the 14th century. It …
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Elections in 9th Century BCE Africa: Carthage, Prior to Athenian Democracy
Annual Elected Heads of state: Carthage (814 BC–146 BC) The Ancient Republic of Carthage which survived from 814 till about 146 BC was founded by sailors and settlers from Phoenicia (a Civilisation that existed from 2500 BC to 539BC). Phoenicians may not have viewed themselves as a nation, but the label is the term we …
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The Birth of Propaganda: King Den’s Sandal Label
If a person wanted to hold (or retain) a political role and wanted the masses to hold a particular point of view, how would they go about spreading their message and proving that they are qualified for such a role? Surely, they would want to appear at their best, bringing out all their finest qualities …
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World War 2 Flight Lieutenant Peter Adeniyi Thomas
Peter Adeniyi Thomas, WW2 Flight Lieutenant, b. Lagos Nigeria 1915, died age 30. Volunteered in gratitude for Great-grandfather rescued by the Royal Navy.
Kingdom of Punt: When Ancient Egypt Envied Somalia
The kingdom of Punt is described in great detail in ancient Egyptian texts as the “Land of the Gods” – Ta Netjer. The history of Punt is connected intimately with the ancient Egyptian kingdoms and was a valuable trading partner of the kingdoms. In pre-dynastic era (c6000 – 3150 BC) signs of trade had already …
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The oldest university in the world is not Bologna!
Universities today invoke a certain image. They are considered institutions of higher education, helping students develop mastery in any one of many diverse fields of liberal arts, science, engineering and medicine. Typically, it tends to be the alumni of prestigious universities that become the administrators and leaders of government bodies, political parties, not-for-profit organizations, the military, …
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Is Kenya more generous than Australia?
Are wealthy countries more generous? Should wealthy countries be more generous? Do religious populations give more? As at 2017, Australia had a population of 25 million people, 7.7 million square kilometres of land of which only 0.8 million square kilometres of land was habitable (10%), 25,760 kilometres of coastline and 25,460 square kilometres of irrigated …
Papyri: Paving The Path To Innovation
Papyrus, from which the English word “paper” is derived, is the writing material of ancient times. The name comes from the aquatic plant Cyperus papyrus, also known as paper plant. This plant was indigenous of the Nile delta region in Egypt and it was collected mainly for its stalks. The central pith of those stalks …
The King’s Fountain: A Painting of Hidden Facts
Chafariz D’El Rey, which translates into the King’s Fountain, is an oil painting from the 16th century. It was painted by a Flemish painter.
Kingdom of Luba
The Kingdom of Luba was a large powerful kingdom which held the major power in Central Africa from the 15th century to the late 19th century (1585-1889). It was established in the 15th century, though the region of Upemba depression had been inhabited for almost 1000 years prior by fishing villages on the lake and …
Female Voting in Sierra Leone
Female Voting in Sierra Leone by 1792: A Centuries-Long Journey for the US to 1920 How does it feel when you are not allowed to express your thoughts and your opinions while at the same time, other people are allowed to share their opinion? Not only are they sharing it, but it is being taken into …
THE GEDI RUINS – RuNNing Water in the 14th Century – Gedi, Kenya
Ruins of Gedi Although certain African kingdoms like Axum, north of the Swahili city states, already had evidence of trading relationships with the Eastern Roman Empire, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, India and Sri Lanka during 100 AD through to 900 AD, other African port cities would later develop evidence of trading with India, Sri …
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Kingdom of Dahomey
The Kingdom of Dahomey, also called the Fon kingdom of Dahomey, was a small kingdom in western Africa (now in the southern region of Benin). It was developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a regional power in the 18th century by conquering key cities on the Atlantic coast. …
Kingdom of Songhai
The kingdom of Songhai existed from 1375 to 1591. It was ruled by the Za dynasty, Sunni dynasty and Askia dynasty of kings. The Songhai kingdom occupied the banks of the river Niger and stretched over the regions of Mali, Ghana, Nigeria, the borders of the Sahara and to the Atlantic Ocean coast. The kingdom …
Cosmas Indicopleustes,From A Simple Merchant To An Intellectual Voyager
It’s the first half of the sixth century, the beginning of the middle ages, the time when the silk trade was growing between the Byzantine Empire and China, the time when the Anno Domini system was created which the Gregorian calendar is based upon, the time when the first reference in history to the use …
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Kingdom of the Kongo
The Kingdom of Congo was a medieval state in west-central Africa, located south of the Congo River, that came into existence of 1375.
Ibn Battuta, African Explorer
Imagine that you are living in North West Africa and it’s now the 14th century. Like many others, you have an inner desire to travel and explore the world around you. You want to explore the rest of your continent and you also want to go to the far East and find out what’s there …