"The East African coast was certainly known to the people of Arabia by the eighth century B. C.E. In fact, the ancient Southern Arabian state of Ausan traded extensively there and may have actually held a portion of the coast. Traders who reached the coast
discovered a number of potentially valuable raw materials there. Among these were spices, tortoise
shell, coconut oil, ivory, and later, gold and slaves.
It was not until almost 1000 c. E., however, that the first important commercial city-states emerged along the coast. These city-states fluctuated in wealth and prestige as they
competed for coastal hegemony. Because of their way of life, they tended to have a broad regional perspective. Their destinies and fortunes were at least partly determined in
distant lands by foreign merchants and rulers.
Information on early political aspects of East African states remains very limited. We know that they had kings or sultans, who wielded a good deal of power. Sultans were advised
by councils of princes, elders, and members of the ruling household. It seems probable that the sultan and his close relatives controlled the religious and military offices of the
state."
Terry H. Elkiss, historian, "Kilwa Kisiwani: The Rise of an East African City State, article published in African Studies Review, a scholarly journal, 1973.
The example of an ancient Arabian state that traded extensively and controlled territories on the East African coast can best be used as evidence of
A the contributions of East Africa to the development of Eurasian religions
Bthe long-term continuities in state building in coastal East Africa
the importance of the East African coast in the development of African national identities
D
the technological and logistical challenges faced by Eurasian merchants trying to reach the East African coast