The history of Suakin (ca. 850-1905): Journal of African Cities chapter 18 https://t.co/Pt9Hp4uEfT

Tomorrow's article is about West Africa's internal diasporas and the writings of a 17th-century scholar

Tell us what you think.

Shrine-shaped pectoral depicting Osiris seated between Isis and Horus 743–712 B.C. Reign of Piankhy (Piye) Pyramid Ku 51 (tomb of a queen of Pianky), el-Kurru, Sudan. -Boston Museum of Fine Arts #randomxt

silver amulet case and necklace 19th cent. Wasini Island, Kenya -Lamu Fort Museum, Kenya. -Weltkulturen Museum, Germany. #randomxt

wine cup late 19th cent. Kuba, D.R.Congo. -Krannert Art Museum #randomxt

miniature gold chair and stool ca. 1900 Asante, Ghana -Finch & Co #randomxt

The frontier between “Africa” and “Empire” was not a line on a map, but a shifting web of loyalty, revolt, commerce and culture — a space where desert nomads, Red Sea traders, Ottoman janissaries and African rulers rubbed shoulders in a world that few modern textbooks even

In 1574, the distant Bornu Empire ( in the Lake Chad basin) sent envoys to the Sultan’s court, demanding a border treaty over the Fezzan in Libya. The result? An uneasy pact, a massacre of Ottoman garrisons in 1585, and a brutal re-assertion of African sovereignty.

Before the age of colonial maps and rigid borders, Africa’s great Sahelian kingdoms and the Ottoman Empire engaged in quiet diplomacy and uneasy alliances — from the courts of Istanbul to the desert fortresses of the Sahara. https://t.co/6JL1AGgpEv

silver and ivory snuff horns 19th century Mende, Sierra Leone. -Brooklyn Museum #randomxt

the 'Three Wise Monkeys' and other scenes on carved wooden panels ca. 1930 Benin City, Nigeria -University of Birmingham #randomxt

a healthy dose of self-awareness

"Nobody knows" https://t.co/yjO9BkDgia

The medieval cities and towns of Eritrea (ca. 1000-1900 CE) https://t.co/WVjorylq9U

The history of the medieval cities and towns of Eritrea is the subject of my latest Patreon article: The medieval cities and towns of Eritrea (ca. 1000-1900 CE) https://t.co/WVjorylq9U

While it was initially thought that the urban history of Eritrea began with Italian colonialism, a re-examination of the Historical evidence reveals a much older urban tradition, with several medieval towns that were abandoned just before the Italian era https://t.co/adk0YujJO6

This dynamic is especially evident in Eritrea, where a chain of towns linked the coast to the mainland markets. In this region, power shifted over time between local rulers and regional hegemons, including the empires of Adal, Ethiopia, and the Ottomans. https://t.co/adk0YujJO6

The development of cities in the medieval northern Horn of Africa was shaped by a complex interplay of economic exchange and political rivalry between the Christian kingdom in the interior and the Muslim polities near the coast. https://t.co/adk0YujJO6

Towns such as Abasa, Amud, Fardowsa, and Maduuna contained palaces, mosques, and houses. While some were involved in external trade through Zeila, most were agricultural settlements, which were later abandoned and transformed into pilgrimage sites. https://t.co/adk0YujJO6

In Somaliland, recent archaeological surveys have identified a network of about 30 cities and towns that were founded at the end of the Middle Ages and were associated with the empire of Adal. https://t.co/adk0YujJO6

The walled metropolis of Harar, which was the capital of Adal and the eponymous sultanate of Harar, contained over a hundred shrines and mosques. It minted its own currency and, for several centuries, dominated much of the region’s external trade. https://t.co/adk0YujJO6