Islam influence on Medieval African Empires and Cities

Medieval African empires and cities were influenced by Islam. Islam was part of Africa and it history for several reasons. Islam faith came from the prophet Muhammad and was part of the foundation of trade in Africa, but Islam eventually contributed to the connecting West and the East.  People united under Islam and moved across Africa with the Arab armies at first, then went on to swept all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. As the armies moved so did their Islam faith. As armies moved in and took over control it laid the construction of West African empires and in the Swahili city-states of East Africa. African empires and cites were now under the influence of Muslim authority and even cites that retained their language and culture still became subordinate under Muslim power.

From there, West African and East Africa who had always been involved in some trade but went on to expand and Islam was part of what brought a connection to the outside world. It played a vital role in connecting to the outside world. Islam was the cultural epicenter of a new worldwide arrangement of communications that stretched from Europe though to Asia.

Being United under Islam, it brought people together that shared the same faith. This allowed for connections of people, trade, and new types of connections to places. Islam helped facilitate connections to the rest of the world. As mentioned previously, African customs, language, and customs were maintained under Islam authority, but also with people who accepted Islam. This allowed a merger of the two. The culture of Islam and local African customs combined, a produced a new demographic construction of Africa.  Those that didn’t convert to Islam still allowed the used of it legal literature to be used and helped even rules runs their kingdoms. It was important to know that Islam’s literate traditions had that opened up new lines of communication, helped kingdoms, and facilitated connections not only between parts of Africa but to the outside world.  Empires, Traders, and Scholars used the traditions of Islam to help their ability to achieve internal security and administration within their roles. Islam’s ability to affect communication influenced new achievements in commerce, administration, and advancements in battle, security, and civil life, service and status in societies.  

The Intercommunication Zone was used for trading and communication from Asia to Europe. Islam ability to united people and open up new lines of communication impacted Africa allowed it to become the new channel to the center region of the world that was important and led to the expansion of the trade industry during those times. The Intercommunication Zone overextended in the East in places like China and Indonesia all the way to the West like Spain and Morocco. Africa became a place with swift, reliable communication because of the merger Islam provided as the key place, a center route in which all these civilizations, Islamic and non-Islamic communicated and traded with one another.

Islam role had multiple impact of Africa, but mostly importantly it allowed new facilitated connections of African societies with each other, the connection to the outside world, the aspects of Islam’s literate traditions and a world-wide system of communication that would be used to advance those connections. It also impacted the inner workings of societies in how Kings, Traders, and Scholars influenced kingdoms, even Islamic and non-Islamic people.