I need some answer. On another forum, I and others are discussing the Indian Ocean trade and the influences Africans had on it.

You claim SOmalis dominated the trade and built the biggest ships. Can you post some sources and add additional informations? Thanks.

Stranglehold: I need some answer. On another forum, I and others are discussing the Indian Ocean trade and the influences Africans had on it.

You claim SOmalis dominated the trade and built the biggest ships. Can you post some sources and add additional informations? Thanks.

i cant let u use somalis achievements as part of a hidden afrocentric agenda

i have spoken

somalia11:


i cant let u use somalis achievements as part of a hidden afrocentric agenda

i have spoken

No I am not using Somali achievements as part of some Afrocentric agenda. I just need to know Somalis part in the Indian Ocean trade. I'm already discussing this with another Somali on another site. Just wanted to hear your take.

KidStranglehold:

No I am not using Somali achievements as part of some Afrocentric agenda. I just need to know Somalis part in the Indian Ocean trade. I'm already discussing this with another Somali on another site. Just wanted to hear your take.

Well the ottoman empire controlled all the arab countries thus stoping europeans from trading with india
somalis had a unique advantage as we were not part of the ottoman empire and we are muslims


we played a great role in taking advantage of our location

Maritime history of Somalia refers to the seafaring tradition of the Somali people.[1] It includes various stages of Somali navigational technology, shipbuilding and design, as well as the history of the Somali port cities. It also covers the historical sea routes taken by Somali sailors which sustained the commercial enterprises of the historical Somali kingdoms and empires, in addition to the contemporary maritime culture of Somalia.

In antiquity, the ancestors of the Somali people were an important link in the Horn of Africa connecting the region's commerce with the rest of the ancient world. Somali sailors and merchants were the main suppliers of frankincense, myrrh and spices, items which were considered valuable luxuries by the Ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Mycenaeans and Babylonians.[2][3] During the classical era, several ancient city-states such as Opone, Mosylon and Malao (ancient) that competed with the Sabaeans, Parthians and Axumites for the wealthy Indo-Greco-Roman trade also flourished in Somalia.[4] In the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade including the Ajuuraan State, the latter of which maintained profitable maritime contacts with Arabia, India, Venetia,[5]Persia, Egypt, Portugal and as far away as China. This tradition of seaborne trade was maintained in the early modern period by later Somali states such as the Gobroon Dynasty.

somalia11: Maritime history of Somalia refers to the seafaring tradition of the Somali people.[1] It includes various stages of Somali navigational technology, shipbuilding and design, as well as the history of the Somali port cities. It also covers the historical sea routes taken by Somali sailors which sustained the commercial enterprises of the historical Somali kingdoms and empires, in addition to the contemporary maritime culture of Somalia.

In antiquity, the ancestors of the Somali people were an important link in the Horn of Africa connecting the region's commerce with the rest of the ancient world. Somali sailors and merchants were the main suppliers of frankincense, myrrh and spices, items which were considered valuable luxuries by the Ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Mycenaeans and Babylonians.[2][3] During the classical era, several ancient city-states such as Opone, Mosylon and Malao (ancient) that competed with the Sabaeans, Parthians and Axumites for the wealthy Indo-Greco-Roman trade also flourished in Somalia.[4] In the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade including the Ajuuraan State, the latter of which maintained profitable maritime contacts with Arabia, India, Venetia,[5]Persia, Egypt, Portugal and as far away as China. This tradition of seaborne trade was maintained in the early modern period by later Somali states such as the Gobroon Dynasty.

Good post and interesting.

Did Somalis trade as far to China?

In ancient times, the Kingdom of Punt, which is believed by several Egyptologists to have been situated in the area of modern-day Somalia, had a steady trade link with the Ancient Egyptians and exported precious natural resources such as myrrh, frankincense and gum. This trade network continued all the way into the classical era. The city states of Mossylon, Malao, Mundus and Tabae in Somalia engaged in a lucrative trade network connecting Somali merchants with Phoenicia, Ptolemic Egypt, Greece, Parthian Persia, Saba, Nabataea and the Roman Empire. Somali sailors used the ancient Somali maritime vessel known as the beden to transport their cargo.

somalia11:


Well the ottoman empire controlled all the arab countries thus stoping europeans from trading with india
somalis had a unique advantage as we were not part of the ottoman empire and we are muslims


we played a great role in taking advantage of our location

I heard of that which is why the Americas was discovered(by accident).

KidStranglehold:

Good post and interesting.

Did Somalis trade as far to China?

yeah its in the article

KidStranglehold:

I heard of that which is why the Americas was discovered(by accident).

thats true cause europeans couldnt go by land cause it was controlled by the turks


the first time europeans tried to come to east africa is when the ethiopians called for back up agaisnt the somalis. the arabs and turks and somalis defeated the portugese and ethiopians

it was a somali man who killed vasco degamas son, that somali man is called ahmed gurey he destroyed all of ethiopia and made the rest muslim

somalia11:

yeah its in the article

Just read. I just wanted to hear your take. Because this Somali poster posted me some interesting stuff about Somali seafaring.

KidStranglehold:

Just read. I just wanted to hear your take. Because this Somali poster posted me some interesting stuff about Somali seafaring.

somalis are a seafaring people

our entire country is a big coast. we have alot of food from different places


the capital mogadishu is persian for seat of the shah

somalia11:

thats true cause europeans couldnt go by land cause it was controlled by the turks


the first time europeans tried to come to east africa is when the ethiopians called for back up agaisnt the somalis. the arabs and turks and somalis defeated the portugese and ethiopians

it was a somali man who killed vasco degamas son, that somali man is called ahmed gurey he destroyed all of ethiopia and made the rest muslim

Yeah it was a four way conflict. You should also note that the Ajuuraan empire freed the Swahili coast from the Portuguese.

KidStranglehold:

Yeah it was a four way conflict. You should also note that the Ajuuraan empire freed the Swahili coast from the Portuguese.

yeah the somalis helped arabs and blacks who got taken over by the portugese


the somalis and a few turks freed them, but several years later the portugese took it back

but they never messed with somalis cause of what we did to them before

After the Roman conquest of the Nabataean Empire and the Roman naval presence at Aden to curb piracy, Arab and Somali merchants barred Indian merchants from trading in the free port cities of the Arabian peninsula[6] because of the nearby Roman presence. However, they continued to trade in the port cities of the Somali peninsula, which was free from any Roman threat or spies. The reason for barring Indian ships from entering the wealthy Arabian port cities was to protect and hide the exploitative trade practices of the Somali and Arab merchants in the extremely lucrative ancient Red Sea-Mediterranean Sea commerce.[7] The Indian merchants for centuries brought large quantities of cinnamon from Ceylon and the Far East to Somalia and Arabia. This is said to have been the best kept secret of the Arab and Somali merchants in their trade with the Roman and Greek world. The Romans and Greeks believed the source of cinnamon to have been the Somali peninsula but in reality, the highly valued product was brought to Somalia by way of Indian ships.[8] Through Somali and Arab traders, Indian/Chinese cinnamon was also exported for far higher prices to North Africa, the Near East and Europe, which made the cinnamon trade a very profitable revenue generator, especially for the Somali merchants through whose hands large quantities were shipped across ancient sea and land routes.

Somali sailors were aware of the region's monsoons, and used them to link themselves with the port cities of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Another navigational technique was denning the islands of the Indian Ocean to navigate through the ancient trade routes.[9]

somalia11:


yeah the somalis helped arabs and blacks who got taken over by the portugese


the somalis and a few turks freed them, but several years later the portugese took it back

but they never messed with somalis cause of what we did to them before

I don't get it...? Why didn't the people of the Swahili coast build a navy like the Ethiopians/Somalis. Or is it because they just relied on those two people for protection? I mean the Swahili coast was rich, they should have protected it better.

KidStranglehold:

I don't get it...? Why didn't the people of the Swahili coast build a navy like the Ethiopians/Somalis. Or is it because they just relied on those two people for protection? I mean the Swahili coast was rich, they should have protected it better.

ethiopians didnt have a navy. from what i understand arabs were in the area for slave trade

while the somalis invested in the area cause they lived there, the arabs were there to make a quick buck before returning

somalia11:

ethiopians didnt have a navy. from what i understand arabs were in the area for slave trade

while the somalis invested in the area cause they lived there, the arabs were there to make a quick buck before returning

I see.

also there were several somali kingdoms thus creating friendly competition and more ships in an effort to capture more trade. they didnt fight each other but they were conpeting for power and influence

During the Age of the Ajuuraans, the sultanates and republics of Merca, Mogadishu, Barawa, Hobyo and their respective ports flourished and had a lucrative foreign commerce with ships sailing to Arabia, India, Venetia,[5]Persia, Egypt, Portugal and as far away as China.

In the 16th century, Duarte Barbosa noted that many ships from the Kingdom of Cambaya in India sailed to Mogadishu with fabric and spices, for which they in return received gold, wax and ivory. Mogadishu, the center of a thriving weaving industry known as toob benadir (specialized for the markets in Egypt and Syria[11]), together with Merca and Barawa also served as transit stops for Swahili merchants from Mombasa and Malindi and for the gold trade from Kilwa.[12] Trade with the Hormuz went both ways, and Jewish merchants brought their Indian textile and fruit to the Somali coast in exchange for grain and wood.[13] Trading relations were established with Malacca in the 15th century,[14] with cloth, ambergris and porcelain being the main commodities exchanged.[15] Giraffes, zebras and incense were exported to the Ming Empire of China, which established Somali merchants as leaders in the commerce between the Asia and Africa,[16] and in the process influenced the Chinese language with the Somali language and vice versa. Hindu merchants from Surat and Southeast African merchants from Pate, seeking to bypass both the Portuguese blockade and Omani meddling, used the Somali ports of Merca and Barawa (which were out of the two powers' jurisdiction) to conduct their trade in safety and without interference.[17]

During the same period, Somali merchants sailed to Cairo, Damascus, Mocha, Mombasa, Aden, Madagascar, Hyderabad and the islands of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, establishing Somali communities along the way. These travels produced several important individuals such as the Muslim scholars Uthman bin Ali Zayla'i in Egypt, Abd al-Aziz of Mogadishu in the Maldives, as well as the explorer Sa'id of Mogadishu, the latter of whom traveled across the Muslim world and visited China and India in the 14th century.

In the early modern period, successor states of the Adal and Ajuuraan empires began to flourish in Somalia, continuing the tradition of seaborne trade established by previous Somali empires. The rise of the 19th century Gobroon Dynasty in particular saw a rebirth in Somali maritime enterprise. During this period, the Somali agricultural output to Arabian markets was so great that the coast of Somalia came to be known as the Grain Coast of Yemen and Oman.[19] Somali merchants also operated trade factories on the Eritrean coast.[20]

During the brief period of imperial hegemony over Somalia, Somali sailors and traders frequently joined British and other European ships to the Far East, Europe and the Americas.

Somalia in the pre-civil war period possessed the largest merchant fleet in the Muslim world. It consisted of 12 oil tankers (average size 1300 tons), 15 bulk ore carriers (average size 15000 tons), and 207 other crafts with average tonnage of 5000 to 10000.

this is some interesting stuff.

esp. since it explains a lot about how and why Christopher Columbus ended up in the west.

so kid how far are you coming with your book?

*Kails*:
so kid how far are you coming with your book?

So you heard.

Not starting it right now. May take a while, just getting down the ideas first. Right now I have to finish up this current novel I am doing right now. What do you think of my ideas so far?

*Kails*:
this is some interesting stuff.

esp. since it explains a lot about how and why Christopher Columbus ended up in the west.

True that, It was after the Ottoman Empire declined Somalia and East Africa in general saw europeans

@somalia11

That somali poster said Somalis established colonies in Aden in Yemen, Sofala in Mozambique, and settled as far away as the Maldives. Is that true and can I hear your take? Really interesting if you ask me.

somalia11:

True that, It was after the Ottoman Empire declined Somalia and East Africa in general saw europeans

that is some major shit right there though because of course that is not how it was taught to us in school. he apparently just "got lost" they never mentioned that he simply COULD NOT go by land.

I'm not surprised tho.

KidStranglehold:

So you heard.

Not starting it right now. May take a while, just getting down the ideas first. Right now I have to finish up this current novel I am doing right now. What do you think of my ideas so far?

yes. i saw the thread

well good luck on your journey bro. writing a book is not easy i am sure but i feel you have what it takes to do it. you seem up on your history and facts.

in my opinion its a good idea.
i just hope you will let me know when i can get a copy lol

KidStranglehold: @somalia11

That somali poster said Somalis established colonies in Aden in Yemen, Sofala in Mozambique, and settled as far away as the Maldives. Is that true and can I hear your take? Really interesting if you ask me.

yeah, i do kno somalis settled else where but i dont kno if u could call it colonies as we didnt colonise anyone

but somalis had trade routes and have lives in yemen for centuries. yemen was controlled by ethiopia before somalia separated and became muslim

the city of zeila was the city arabs and early muslims fled to, it was ethiopia but now that city is in northern somalia

*Kails*:




yes. i saw the thread

well good luck on your journey bro. writing a book is not easy i am sure but i feel you have what it takes to do it. you seem up on your history and facts.

in my opinion its a good idea.
i just hope you will let me know when i can get a copy lol

Sure.

But it may take a while. A long while...

somalia11:


yeah, i do kno somalis settled else where but i dont kno if u could call it colonies as we didnt colonise anyone

but somalis had trade routes and have lives in yemen for centuries. yemen was controlled by ethiopia before somalia separated and became muslim

the city of zeila was the city arabs and early muslims fled to, it was ethiopia but now that city is in northern somalia

Interesting.

KidStranglehold:

Interesting.

So yeah it was always the cushites that controllef the middle east not the other way around


There are also small minority groups Somalia you are a mix of Turkish, arabs and somali from the 1500s when the Arabs and Turks came to Somalia fight against Ethiopia

people dont know that the first tome a european was defeated on africa was in somaloa in 1500's, and a somali man killed the leader of the portugese personally he was vasco degamas son thr famous explorer

KidStranglehold:

Sure.

But it may take a while. A long while...

no pressure dear. thats cool.
Im patient lol

@topic I need to try and find some documentaries about this stuff. Kinda interesting because I was under the impression an ethiopian king was the one who expanded his notoriety and influence to the far east but as it turns out he was not alone.