Who was shaka zulu? a. a powerful zulu chief who conquered much territory in southern africa b. a leader responsible for building the great zimbabwe c. an ethiopian king who converted to christianity d. a dictator who ruled somalia until 1991

swahili is an extremely rich and complex civilization, a set of ethnic groups articulated by a language and a series of cultural elements that fuse the african traditions, islam and indian culture. this growth was largely a result of the indian ocean trading network that brought in not just man-made riches, but also religious ideas, specifically islam, which had a significant impact on the local culture. furthermore, the development of the swahili language gave a common cultural unity to the people.

for many centuries there were important factors which the economies of the muslim empires developed increasingly. they applied economic procedures in production, investment, finance, taxation and property. they used to tax certain goods (for example: harvest), they charged interest on money lent, they signed contracts with merchants; they relied on a common currency, and they used checks as well as promissory notes. with the money collected by means of taxation, the government provided the needy with an income. in addition, trading networks covered huge distances, so far regions started to have contact and exchange goods. this trade network covered areas of asia, africa and europe.