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After the collapse of the Roman Empire in 476 AD and the subsequent loss of the Meroe and Aksum as commercial entrepots, a void fell over trade in the Indian Ocean that would persist until 750 AD, which signaled the beginning of Muslim dominance in the area. Initially confined to the Persian Gulf, Muslims began to expand their circle of influence to the eastern coast of Africa. Like Meroe and Aksum, the eastern coast of Africa provided a pipeline to the interior luxuries of the continent, as well as to those of the Indian Ocean. However, unlike Meroe and Aksum, the sheer length of the coast allowed for it be more versatile in what it could produce and how it could sustain its civilization. As a result of this, the coast prospered in trade, but it also experienced a transformation into a powerful area of city-states. This process of urbanization and state-formation, coupled with the significance of Muslim influence over such, is discussed at length by Graham Connah in African......

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Approximate Pages: 6 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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