Shirazi (ethnic group)
Encyclopedia
The Shirazi are a sub-group of the Swahili people
living on the Swahili Coast
of East Africa
, especially on the islands of Zanzibar
, Pemba and Comoros
. Local traditions about their origin claim they are descended from merchant princes from Shiraz
in Persia who settled along the Swahili Coast
. However some academics are skeptical of the claimed Persian origin. There are several different traditions about the settlement of the Persian merchant-princes in seven towns along the Swahili Coast
.
Like the rest of the Swahili people
, the Shirazi speak the Swahili language
and practice Sunni Islam
and Shia Islam.
Several ruins of settlements in Tanzania
are attributed to the early Shirazi settlements, including the Tongoni Ruins
, and on Tumbatu
and Pemba islands.
Swahili people
The Swahili people are a Bantu ethnic group and culture found in East Africa, mainly in the coastal regions and the islands of Kenya, Tanzania and north Mozambique. According to JoshuaProject, the Swahili number in at around 1,328,000. The name Swahili is derived from the Arabic word Sawahil,...
living on the Swahili Coast
Swahili Coast
The Swahili Coast refers to the coast or coastal area of East Africa inhabited by the Swahili people, mainly Kenya, Tanzania, and north Mozambique...
of East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
, especially on the islands of Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
, Pemba and Comoros
Comoros
The Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar...
. Local traditions about their origin claim they are descended from merchant princes from Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz may refer to:* Shiraz, Iran, a city in Iran* Shiraz County, an administrative subdivision of Iran* Vosketap, Armenia, formerly called ShirazPeople:* Hovhannes Shiraz, Armenian poet* Ara Shiraz, Armenian sculptor...
in Persia who settled along the Swahili Coast
Swahili Coast
The Swahili Coast refers to the coast or coastal area of East Africa inhabited by the Swahili people, mainly Kenya, Tanzania, and north Mozambique...
. However some academics are skeptical of the claimed Persian origin. There are several different traditions about the settlement of the Persian merchant-princes in seven towns along the Swahili Coast
Swahili Coast
The Swahili Coast refers to the coast or coastal area of East Africa inhabited by the Swahili people, mainly Kenya, Tanzania, and north Mozambique...
.
Like the rest of the Swahili people
Swahili people
The Swahili people are a Bantu ethnic group and culture found in East Africa, mainly in the coastal regions and the islands of Kenya, Tanzania and north Mozambique. According to JoshuaProject, the Swahili number in at around 1,328,000. The name Swahili is derived from the Arabic word Sawahil,...
, the Shirazi speak the Swahili language
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
and practice Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
and Shia Islam.
Several ruins of settlements in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
are attributed to the early Shirazi settlements, including the Tongoni Ruins
Tongoni Ruins
Tongoni is a small fishing village 17km south of Tanga in Tanzania. It is famous for the 15th Century ruins of a mosque and forty tombs that are found in the village. Tongoni was a different place four to five centuries ago...
, and on Tumbatu
Tumbatu
Tumbatu Island is the third-largest island making up Zanzibar, part of Tanzania in east Africa. The island is located off the northwest coast of Zanzibar's main island, Unguja....
and Pemba islands.
See also
- Shirazi, KenyaShirazi, KenyaShirazi is a coastal village in the Coast Province of Kenya. It is inhabited by people belonging to the Shirazi ethnic group.-See also:* Shirazi...
- Afro-Shirazi PartyAfro-Shirazi PartyThe Afro-Shirazi Party was the union between the mostly Shiraz Party and the mostly African Afro Party in the island of Zanzibar. The formation of ASP led to the ouster of the Arabs from power with the Zanzibar Revolution in 1964. The party joined with the Tanganyika African National Union to...
- Kilwa SultanateKilwa SultanateThe Kilwa Sultanate was a Medieval sultanate, centered at Kilwa , whose authority, at its height, stretched over the entire length of the Swahili Coast. It was founded in the 10th century by Ali ibn al-Hassan Shirazi...
- Sultan al-Hasan ibn SulaimanSultan al-Hasan ibn SulaimanSultan al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman, often referred to as "Abu'l-Mawahib" , ruled the island of Kilwa Kisiwani, in present-day Tanzania, from 1310 until 1333....
- Tongoni RuinsTongoni RuinsTongoni is a small fishing village 17km south of Tanga in Tanzania. It is famous for the 15th Century ruins of a mosque and forty tombs that are found in the village. Tongoni was a different place four to five centuries ago...
- Kizimkazi MosqueKizimkazi MosqueThe Kizimkazi Mosque is a mosque situated on the southern tip of the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania and is one of the oldest Islamic buildings on the East African coast. Despite its name, it is located in Dimbani, not Kizimkazi, which is three miles away...
- TumbatuTumbatuTumbatu Island is the third-largest island making up Zanzibar, part of Tanzania in east Africa. The island is located off the northwest coast of Zanzibar's main island, Unguja....
- Zanj EmpireZanj EmpireThe Zenj Empire was established in 980 AD by Ali ibn Hasan of the Shirazi Dynasty. The founding of the empire was also based on a joint venture that entailed Persians and Shabankara Kurds. The Shabankara Persians, specifically, were from the Shiraz region in southern Iran.The Zanj Empire was the...