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.
The Abbasid Caliphate: The Golden Age of the Islamic Civilization Read More »
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
Kilwa Sultanate: a state based in Tanzania which traded as far as Australia Read More »
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
Makuria: Humanity’s Longest Observed Peace Treaty, The Baqt Read More »
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
The First Kingdom in Southern Africa: Mapungubwe Read More »
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
Elections in 9th Century BCE Africa: Carthage, Prior to Athenian Democracy Read More »
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
The Birth of Propaganda: King Den’s Sandal Label Read More »
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
Kingdom of Punt: When Ancient Egypt Envied Somalia Read More »
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,
The oldest university in the world is not Bologna! Read More »
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
Is Kenya more generous than Australia? Read More »
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.
The King’s Fountain: A Painting of Hidden Facts Read More »
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
The word Zimbabwe loosely translated to ‘House of Rock’. It is a severely anglicized version of the Shona words dzimba dza mabwe, meaning great stone houses or dzimba woye, meaning esteemed houses. The Shona people were the original inhabitants of the Zimbabwe plateau. These people settled in this area and slowly developed a society of
Kingdom of Zimbabwe (1220-1450 AD) Read More »
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
Female Voting in Sierra Leone Read More »
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
THE GEDI RUINS – RuNNing Water in the 14th Century – Gedi, Kenya Read More »
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 Dahomey Read More »
West African history The Songhai Kingdom: Facts, History, Trade and Power The Songhai Kingdom existed from 1375 to 1591 and became one of the largest and most powerful states in West African history. At its peak, the Songhai Kingdom stretched along the Niger, ruled vast territory, expanded trade, reformed government, and helped make cities such
Kingdom of Songhai Read More »
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
Cosmas Indicopleustes,From A Simple Merchant To An Intellectual Voyager Read More »
The Kingdom of Congo was a medieval state in west-central Africa, located south of the Congo River, that came into existence of 1375.
Kingdom of the Kongo Read More »
About the Mali Empire, the powerful West African state which existed from 1235 to 1670 CE, founded by Sundiata Keita. (In Manding: also known as Niani, after its capital)
Not many people know that before 8,500 BC the bow and arrow was invented independently in West Africa. Not many people know that West Africans invented face masks, built boats from wood, had inheritance laws, hire purchase systems (such as the iwofa system) and town planning. Not many people know that fishing by hook and
Nigeria startups: A to Z Read More »
