History of Africa

ตอน

• Season 7 Episode 2: Looking for Takrur 23.06.2026 31นาที

  In this episode, we explore the history of the medieval Western Sahel, and examine what Arabic language sources tell us about the Senegal River Valley during the rise of its first major empire - the Empire of Takrur.
• Season 7 Episode 1: Welcome to Senegambia 06.04.2026 25นาที

  Explore the history of the Wolof Empire with us this season. In this episode we set the stage for what is to come by examining the geography and prehistory of Senegambia. From the evolution of its archaeological cultures to the famous Senegambian megaliths, let's encounter this fascinating tale.
• Season 6 Episode 18: The Omani Empire 11.08.2025 25นาที

  Kilwa is brought to its knees by one final foreign invasion, which leads the island into an irreversible decline and the eventual dissolution of the sultanate. 
• Season 6 Episode 17: The (Brief) Portuguese Conquest of Kilwa 21.07.2025 23นาที

  The Portuguese have conquered Kilwa. Let's see how much pain their victory causes them in the long run.
• Season 6 Episode 16: The Portuguese Arrive 30.06.2025 19นาที

  The Portuguese arrive in Kilwa. This should go well.
• From the Vault: Zengjiani, the Zanzibari Traveler in China 09.06.2025 12นาที

  As my voice recovers, please enjoy this "from the vault" episode about Zengjiani, a famous East African traveler who reached numerous impressive destinations.
• Season 6 Episode 15: The Unstable 15th Century part 2: Emir Muhammad the Powerful 19.05.2025 20นาที

  After decades of civil strife and conflict, a powerful leader finally emerges in Kilwa Kisiwani as the 14th century reached its climax. With the power of the sultanate waning, a powerful judge named Muhammad Al Kawab asserts himself as the true power behind the throne. The age of powerful monarchs is over, and Kilwa's era as an oligarchy begins.
• Season 6 Episode 14: The Unstable 15th Century Part 1: Age of the Viziers Arrives 28.04.2025 18นาที

  Today, we enter into an age of transformation. For a prominent period in Kilwa's history, the city and its many satellites will no longer be under the reign of the centuries-old monarchy. Instead, a new apparatus of bureaucratic elites will begin to exert control over the state, and eventual make the monarchy little more than a shadow of its former self.
• Season 6 Episode 13: The Stone City of Songo Mnara 07.04.2025 19นาที

  Urban sprawl and social instability leads Kilwa to develop a sister city on a nearby peninsula. Songo Mnara grows rapidly to become a major urban center on the Eastern Coast of Africa.
• Season 6 Episode 12: Ibn Battuta’s Kilwa Vacation 17.03.2025 22นาที

  The great traveler Ibn Battuta arrives in Kilwa, and paints a tale of a country at the peak of its power, wealth, and prestige...but with a potentially bleaker future awaiting.
• Season 6 Episode 11: The Father of Gifts 24.02.2025 21นาที

  Every historic civilization has one or two famous leaders who rise above all others in their fame and prestige. Kilwa's most famous ruler was certainly Abu al Mawahib, the Father of Gifts.
• Season 6 Episode 10: The Mahdali Coup 03.02.2025 20นาที

  The Sultanate of Kilwa influenced Zanzibar. Today, Zanzibar influences Kilwa back.
• Season 6 Episode 9: The height of the Shirazi Dynasty 13.01.2025 30นาที

  In today's episode, we examine the height of the Shirazi Dynasty - with Kilwa's absorption of several nearby islands and territories, as well as the transformation of Kilwa from an island of wooden buildings to an island of coral limestone structures.
• Season 6 Episode 8: The Age of Rebellions 23.12.2024 20นาที

  The 11th century: a period of tumult in Kilwa's history. The sultanate overthrows the yoke of the Xanga, only to find that this rebellion is not the last.
• Season 6 Episode 7: Kilwa is Conquered 02.12.2024 23นาที

  In today's episode, a mysterious conqueror from the mainland captures the island of Kilwa. In this episode, we examine the story of the matata mandalin, and the mysterious kingdom of Xanga, a mysterious great power that brought the nascent kingdom of Kilwa to its knees.
• Season 6 Episode 6: Lime, Iron, and Salt 11.11.2024 21นาที

  In today's episode, we chart the growth of Kilwa as a major economic center, from its growth as a manufacturer of lime and iron, to its rise as a middleman in the trade of gold from Africa's southern reaches, as well as its blossoming into a maritime power.
• Season 6 Episode 5: Make Way for Prince Ali - The Mysterious Kilwa Chronicle 21.10.2024 28นาที

  It seems unlikely that he had 75 golden camels, but it's hard to say much else about Prince Ali of Shiraz. This historical figure has semi-historical origins, attested to in a mysterious document known as the "Kilwa Chronicle." In today's episode, we assess various interpretations of the Kilwa Chronicle, as well as the Sultanate's origins.
• Season 6 Episode 4: Second Fiddle In East Africa 07.10.2024 17นาที

  Throughout the early middle ages, Kilwa remained a small settlement, laying in the shadow of the much greater city of Mogadishu.
• Season 6 Episode 3: The Lost Cities of Azania 23.09.2024 27นาที

  Hidden in the brackish estuary of the Rufiji River, one of the greatest archaeological finds of the modern era might be waiting: the remains of a still poorly understood ancient trade hub referred to in ancient texts from across the world.  Rhapta, a maritime metropolis, was likely the most influential city of its region, and one which still remains enigmatic.
• Season 6 Episode 2: The World's Oldest Trade Route? 09.09.2024 20นาที

  In this episode, we explore the origins of farming in East Africa, as well as some of the oldest evidence for long-distance trade reaching the region.