The Swahili culture is over 1,00 years old!!! Swahililand (all Swahili city-states) was very prominent. The Swahili traded with a lot of people. They have their own language called Kiswahili. They became Islamic to avoid being enslaved by Arabs. They were great builders and sculptors. The Portuguese destroyed Swahililand.
Swahililand started around 1200 years ago!!! There were over 100 Swahili city-states. The Swahili tribe are of Bantu extraction. They are located in Mozambique, Kenya, and Tanzania. They're orthodox Muslims. Some Swahili women married Arab men centuries ago. The Swahili were great traders. Soccer is popular among Swahili boys.
Zanzibar: It is an island off the coast of Tanzania. The Swahili live on this island. Persians, Arabs, Indians, English, Portuguese, and Malagasy came to the island. They mixed with the Swahili. The people on this island lost their tribal identity. They celebrate holidays from these various tribes. Most people are farmers and fishermen.
Kilwa: Stone structures were built there a millennium ago. A mosque was built at this time as well. A palace was built in the 1300's. They traded ivory, iron, slaves, and gold. Gold coins were made here. This city-state trade with China more than any other city-state. Ibn Battuta was a traveler. He said Kilwa was the greatest country he every been too.
The economy was based on trade. The Swahili traded with other Africans and Arabs, Persians, Chinese, and Indians. They exported ivory, gold, grain, gold, slaves, etc. They imported beads, weapons, porcelain, and textiles. They were trading items they got from other Africans. I assume they gave Africans the items they got from the people across the sea.
Kiswahili is a Bantu language. Bantu languages are part of the Niger-Congo language family. Kiswahili is spoken by over 100 million people. There is Arabic vocabulary in Kiswahili. The Arabic script is used for writing. Kiswahili is the official language of Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. The word Swahili means coastal dweller. It's an Arabic word.
B4 the Swahili became Islamic, they followed a Traditional African Religion. I assume they had the same beliefs of other Bantu tribes. A Swahili chief was kidnapped by Arabs and taken to Yemen. He escaped and went back to his village. He taught his people Islam. By doing so he saved them from slavery. Today most Swahili are Sunni Muslims.
Art
Many mosques were built in Swahililand. They created roads and other buildings. A lot of their designs are geometric, which remind me of the Kuba. Swahili people artistic style was influenced by Arab, Persian, Chinese, and Indian art. They make sweet sculptures because they're Bantu. Niger-Congo people are greatest sculptors.
The Portuguese came to Swahililand and saw how rich it was; so they decided to conquer it. They took over Swahililand. If any city resisted they were destroyed. They stole lots of goods and ruled Swahililand for a century. The Portuguese destroyed the Kongo Kingdom too.
The Swahili have a long history. They have a great culture and they are great people. Their language is sweet; I tried to learn, but couldn't. They traded with Africans farther inland and with people across the Indian Ocean. I give Swahililand a B+.
References
http://www.afropedea.org/swahili-city-states
https://www.britishmuseum.org/pdf/SwahiliCoast_TeachersNotes.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swahili_culture
http://www.blackpast.org/gah/east-african-city-states
http://richard-hooker.com/sites/worldcultures/CIVAFRCA/SWAHILI.HTM
Swahililand
http://www.glcom.com/hassan/swahili_history.html
https://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/peoples/show/Swahili
http://www.kenya-information-guide.com/swahili-tribe.html
http://swahiliarts.com/
http://www.bu.edu/africa/outreach/indian/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swahili_language
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swahili_people
http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Tajikistan-to-Zimbabwe/Swahili.html
http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/02/08/swahili-culture-kenya-coast-inside-africa-spc-c.cnn
http://archaeology.about.com/od/medieval/qt/Kilwa-Chronicle.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Battuta
http://www.everyculture.com/Africa-Middle-East/Swahili-Economy.html
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/swahili.htm
http://buzzkenya.com/swahili-people-language-and-culture/
http://myfreeschooltanzania.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-portuguese-at-east-african-coast.html
Kiswahili
Swahili History
Ancestors of the Swahili
Swahili City-States
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