Medieval coins from Zanzibar.
The first two are from:
Al Husayn ibn Ahmad
The last three from:
Ishaq ibn Hasan
Both rulers of the 14th century.
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Al-Bakuvi: Kitab-talkhis el-asar ve el-melik el-gahhar (Short Notes on Monuments and other Marvels from previous
Kings) (1430) from Baku, Azerbaijan.
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Abd Rashid Saleh ibn-Nuri al-Bakuvi, the famous traveller, geographer, climatplogist and cosmographer. Bakuvi was born between 1335-1360 in Baku and died between 1425-1430 in Cairo. Just one manuscript survived, at the National Library in Paris: Kitab Talkhis al-Asrar va Ajaib al-Malik al-Kakhar; (Abridalment of [Book] about Monuments and Miracles of Powerful King). As to East Africa; this book does not bring anything new.
Taken from: Translation by: de Guines in Notices et extraits... (Paris 1789)
Also called Al Bakuwi, or Bakoui
or Abd al-Rashid ibn Salih al-Bakuwi
Introduction
Carnation (1) grow on islands al-Hind, coconuts, pepper, ginger -in al-Hind, teak, ebony tree - in Yemen... As to animals, the elephants are born on islands of the Southern seas only. In al-Hind, they live longer than in other countries, and tusks of those are not rather great, as those elephants in al-Hind; giraffes are found in al-Habash; buffalo - in hot countries near rivers;
Longitude 65.-5. Latitude 9.-30.
A big country which has to the north the one of Khalidge al Barbari (2), in the south the one of Tibr or gold country (3), and in the east the one of Zinges,...
…… there are elephants, giraffes and oxen which are used instead of camels to drag the carts. The giraffe was born from a wild camel; his head resembles that of the ibl or camel, his horns that of the deer, his skin that of the tiger, his legs that of the camel, his nails that of the ox, his tail that of the deer; she has a long mane; the front feet are long and the back legs short ……
Belad al Zinge, or the Zanguebar, land of the Zinges.
This land is as wide as two months of walking; in the north of it is Yemen, to the south the place called Al-phiani (4), in the east Nubie, and in the west Ethiopia. The people are black and burned because of the excessive heat. They are descendants of Kousch, son of Kanaan (5), and they are very bad; they are different from other people through their black color, the flat nose, the big lips, the thickness of their hands, their heels, their smell, by becoming angry very soon, by having little spirit, by eating each other, and by eating their enemies. They have a king called Aklim (6): they ride bulls to go to war, because they have no horses. The star Sohail (Canope) is every night visible there. They have lots of gold, they go hunting elephants who are numerous there, they trade in ivory of which they have lots, what they esteem the most : they only were iron jewelry, and this although they are rich.
Sofala
This is a town that, in the land of the Zinges, is known for its gold mines; the gold of this country is very much sought after by the merchants; there is also a kind of bird that speaks better then any parrot.
Bandgouia (Zanzibar?)(7)
Big island in the land of the Zinges, where the king is living : all the ships stop there. There are vines there that give fruit three times a year. In one manuscript is written Laikhouna.
Mikdaschq (Mogadishu)
Town situated there where the land of the Zinges start, at the sea shore, to the south of Yemen. It is impossible there to see the north pole, one navigates by the south pole, and the star Sohail or Canope. From there gets exported, Sandalwood, ebony-wood, amber, and ivory.
He also talks about the island of El-Camar.
(1) Carnation: Dianthus caryophyllus ( a red flower), commonly known as the carnation or clove pink, is a species of Dianthus
(2) Khalidge al Barbari: Berbera town in N-Somalia.
(3) Tibr or gold country: Sofala al tibr
(4) Al-phiani: The only author treating this topo is Joseph Baptist Schütz (in 1829) and he can only mention that the lands to the south (of al Zanj) were called Lamiem or Vacuac , or al-Phiani.
(5) Kousch, son of Kanaan: Kush ibn Canaan: Ibn Qutayba (880) says that Kanan and Kush are the fathers of the races of the Sudan.
(6) king called Aklim: He copied this from Masudi (916). Neville Chittick in The People of the East African Coast p24: The case for equating this word waqlimi or waflimi with the Bantu mfalme (king)is strengthened by the similarity of the Zanj word for God, mklnjlu (mkulunjulu?) which is said by Masudi to mean Great Lord, to a Southern Bantu word for God u-nkulu-nkulu. It might equally be related to the Bantu mkuu (great person)or juu (above). However even if these words are Bantu, we cannot go on to deduce that Swahili was being spoken.
During the ages many authors have written down the titles of the rulers of the Zanj:
Masudi (916): The king of Zanj is called Flimi.
Al-Khwarizmi: (d997) Almehraj: King Alzabaj and Zinj.
Abu Ubayd Al Bakri (1067): And the Flymy (title of king) has three hundred thousand cavalry.
Al-Raghib al-Isfahani (1109): Al Buhraja: sahib al Zunj.
Al-Qazwini(d. 1283). Atar al Bilad: And they have a King named Aokulaim.
Muhammad al Fasi, Maliki: (d1429-30): Al Hyaj: the king of Zinj and Ghana.
Wasif Shah (1209): Their principal king is called Kunah; he resides on the shore of the sea, in a place called Kandu.
Ibn al jawzi (1257): Al-Jahez said: The king of Zinj is called: falimin, meaning the Son of the Great Lord.
Al-Dimashqi (1325): The supreme king is called Touqlim (or tuqlim or buqlim) meaning 'son of the Lord'
Al-Bakuvi (1430) a king called Aklim
Note: Charles Guillain: ( Documents sur l'histoire, la géographie et le commerce de l'Afrique….
P173) gives several versions on how different translators translated the word Flimi (King) of Masudi (916): M. Reinaud: Oklimen; M. Quatremère: Wakliman;
M. Sprenger: Afliman; Deguignes: Phalimi and Aphlimi.
(7) Bandgouia: Burton in 1872 says that this is clearly a corruption.
Laikhouna: L.njwyh; Lunjuya; Leikhouna, (or Bandjouya or Lendjouya (Unguja), Landschuja: local name for Zanzibar. According to Marcel Devic; Anggoudja is the Swahili word for ‘wait’, what makes it for him a waiting place for ships. The modern word in Swahili is ‘ngoja’ but the pronunciation remains unchanged.