XIIᵉ siècle – XIIIᵉ siècle
Southern Zanzibar, Tanzania
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Kizimkazi was a Muslim settlement in southern Zanzibar with one of the earliest dated Islamic inscriptions known from East Africa. Its inscription, carved in a distinctive floriated Kufic style, dates to the equivalent of AD 1106/7. Archaeological evidence indicates that the settlement flourished through the thirteenth century, linking epigraphic evidence for Islam with the continuing importance of Zanzibar within the East African coastal network.
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Kizimkazi provides an important archaeological and epigraphic marker for the history of Islam on Zanzibar. The earliest dated inscription from East Africa identified in the passage is located there. Its style is described as unusually fine and floriated Kufic, linking the settlement to the literate and architectural culture of the wider Muslim Indian Ocean.
The inscription is dated to the equivalent of AD 1106/7. This date places Kizimkazi within a period when Arabic geographical accounts were increasingly describing Muslim populations and maritime settlements on the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba. The inscription offers firmer local evidence than generalized external descriptions of the coast.
Kizimkazi remained active beyond the inscription’s date. Archaeological evidence shows that the settlement flourished through the thirteenth century, while its relationship with Kilwa appears to have been sufficiently close for political refugees and supporters to move between the two centres. Zanzibar nevertheless remained independent of Kilwa during the period discussed.
XIIᵉ siècle – XIIIᵉ siècle
Southern Zanzibar, Tanzania
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Kizimkazi was a Muslim settlement in southern Zanzibar with one of the earliest dated Islamic inscriptions known from East Africa. Its inscription, carved in a distinctive floriated Kufic style, dates to the equivalent of AD 1106/7. Archaeological evidence indicates that the settlement flourished through the thirteenth century, linking epigraphic evidence for Islam with the continuing importance of Zanzibar within the East African coastal network.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Kizimkazi provides an important archaeological and epigraphic marker for the history of Islam on Zanzibar. The earliest dated inscription from East Africa identified in the passage is located there. Its style is described as unusually fine and floriated Kufic, linking the settlement to the literate and architectural culture of the wider Muslim Indian Ocean.
The inscription is dated to the equivalent of AD 1106/7. This date places Kizimkazi within a period when Arabic geographical accounts were increasingly describing Muslim populations and maritime settlements on the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba. The inscription offers firmer local evidence than generalized external descriptions of the coast.
Kizimkazi remained active beyond the inscription’s date. Archaeological evidence shows that the settlement flourished through the thirteenth century, while its relationship with Kilwa appears to have been sufficiently close for political refugees and supporters to move between the two centres. Zanzibar nevertheless remained independent of Kilwa during the period discussed.