Arabs in East Africa

Known Arab immigration into East Africa goes all the way back to 5th century B.C. Many south Arabian armies settled in the Ethiopian highlands and eventually formed the Axum Empire, which was a powerful empire at the time and is believed to be the resting pplace of the Ark of the Covenant. The empire was one of the first African empires to convert to Christianity.

Some cultures in Africa that we know today, are the result of the immigration of other cultures into an area and the intermingling of those cultures. One of those specific immigrations is the immigration of Arabs into East Africa. Probably the most notable example of this is the immigration of Arabs fleeing wars in Arabia into Africa. From this blend of Arab and African cultures the Swahili were born.

Swahili live mostly in Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique according to Wikipedia and the culture is mostly the result of the Arab and African cultures, in fact, the word Swahili is derived from an Arabic word that translates to "coastal dwellers."

The religion most often followed by the Swahili is Islam, as much of their exposure from other cultures has continued to be from Arabia. The Swahili speak a native language, but has many similarities to that of Arabic language. One of the first known literary documents in Swahili was a poem called "The history of Tambuka," which was an epic story which was believed to have originated around 1700.