Manga Arabs

Last updated

The Manga or Wamanga Arabs are Omani Arabs, specifically from the region of Muscat, who have immigrated to parts of East Africa such as Zanzibar. They are different from the Omanis who already were there since the first immigration wave, not only because of the time they have spent there, but also because of their level of education and integration, their knowledge of Islam, their socio-economic status and the length of time they intended to stay (usually, one generation). [1] [2]

Contents

Due to their low level in all of these factors in comparison with their predecessors, the Manga Arabs usually only aspire to low-level economic positions unlike their predecessors who became aristocrats.[ citation needed ]Some Manga Arabs are small land cultivators, plantation supervisors, caravan managers or small traders. [1]

Etymology

The word is derived from the Arabic munqa'a (the sea). The Arabic root, naqa'a, also yields a verb meaning "to soak". [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oman</span> Country in West Asia

Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located in West Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of the Persian Gulf. Oman shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, while sharing maritime borders with Iran and Pakistan. Oman has a population of 5,492,196 and is ranked the 120th most populous country in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Oman</span> Aspect of history

Oman is the site of pre-historic human habitation, stretching back over 100,000 years. The region was impacted by powerful invaders, including other Arab tribes, Portugal and Britain. Oman once possessed the island of Zanzibar on the east coast of Africa as a colony. Oman also held Gwadar as a colony for many years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zanzibar</span> Autonomous part of Tanzania

Zanzibar is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, 25–50 km (16–31 mi) off the coast of the African mainland, and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja and Pemba Island. The capital is Zanzibar City, located on the island of Unguja. Its historic centre, Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muscat</span> Capital and largest city of Oman

Muscat is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate was 1.72 million as of September 2022. The metropolitan area spans approximately 3,500 km2 (1,400 sq mi) and includes six provinces called wilayats, making it the largest city in the Arabian Peninsula by area. Known since the early 1st century AD as an important trading port between the west and the east, Muscat was ruled by various indigenous tribes as well as foreign powers such as the Persians, the Portuguese Empire and the Ottoman Empire at various points in its history. A regional military power in the 18th century, Muscat's influence extended as far as East Africa and Zanzibar. As an important port-town in the Gulf of Oman, Muscat attracted foreign tradesmen and settlers such as the Persians, Balochs and Sindhis. Since the ascension of Qaboos bin Said as Sultan of Oman in 1970, Muscat has experienced rapid infrastructural development that has led to the growth of a vibrant economy and a multi-ethnic society. Muscat is termed as a Beta - Global City by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tippu Tip</span> Swahili slave trader

Tippu Tip, or Tippu Tib, real name Ḥamad ibn Muḥammad ibn Jumʿah ibn Rajab ibn Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd al Murjabī, was an Afro-Omani ivory and slave owner and trader, explorer, governor and plantation owner. He worked for a succession of the sultans of Zanzibar and was the Sultan of Uterera, a short-lived state in Kasongo, Maniema ruled by himself and his son Sefu who was an Emir with local WaManyema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muscat and Oman</span> Former Arabian state from 1856 to 1970

The Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, also known briefly as the State of Muscat and Oman during the rule of Taimur bin Feisal, was a sovereign state that encompassed the present-day Sultanate of Oman and parts of present-day United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, in the second half of the 19th century and 20th century. Ruled by the Busaid dynasty, it was established as a result of the partition of the Omani Empire upon the death of its last ruler Said bin Sultan. The Sultanate transitioned into a new form of government after the palace coup of 23 July 1970 in which the sultan Said bin Taimur was immediately deposed in favor of his son Qaboos bin Said.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zanzibar Revolution</span> 1964 overthrow of the Sultan of Zanzibar

The Zanzibar Revolution occurred in January 1964 and led to the overthrow of the Sultan of Zanzibar and his mainly Arab government by the island's majority Black African population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultanate of Zanzibar</span> 1856–1964 monarchy in the Indian Ocean

The Sultanate of Zanzibar, also known as the Zanzibar Sultanate, was an East African Muslim state controlled by the Sultan of Zanzibar, in place between 1856 and 1964. The Sultanate's territories varied over time, and after a period of decline, the state had sovereignty over only the Zanzibar Archipelago and a 16-kilometre-wide (10 mi) strip along the Kenyan coast, with the interior of Kenya constituting the British Kenya Colony and the coastal strip administered as a de facto part of that colony.

People have lived in Zanzibar for 20,000 years. History properly starts when the islands became a base for traders voyaging between the African Great Lakes, the Somali Peninsula, the Arabian peninsula, Iran, and the Indian subcontinent. Unguja offered a protected and defensible harbor, so although the archipelago had few products of value, Omanis and Yemenis settled in what became Zanzibar City as a convenient point from which to trade with towns on the Swahili Coast. They established garrisons on the islands and built the first mosques in the African Great Lakes Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swahili coast</span> Coastal area of the Indian Ocean in southeast Africa

The Swahili coast is a coastal area of the Indian Ocean in East Africa inhabited by the Swahili people. It includes Dar es Salaam; Sofala ; Mombasa, Gede, Pate Island, Lamu, and Malindi ; and Kilwa. In addition, several coastal islands are included in the Swahili coast such as Zanzibar and Comoros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omanis</span> Nationals of Oman

Omanis are the nationals of Sultanate of Oman, located in the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Omanis have inhabited the territory that is now Oman. In the eighteenth century, an alliance of traders and rulers transformed Muscat into the leading port of the Persian Gulf. Omani people are ethnically diverse; the Omani citizen population consists of many different ethnic groups. The majority of the population consists of Arabs, with many of these Arabs being Swahili language speakers and returnees from the Swahili Coast, particularly Zanzibar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Busaid</span> Ruling dynasty of the Sultanate of Oman and Zanzibar

The House of Busaid, also known as Al Said dynasty, is the current ruling royal house of the Oman, and former ruling royal house of the Omani Empire (1744–1856), Sultanate of Muscat and Oman (1856–1970) and the Sultanate of Zanzibar (1856–1964). It was founded by Ahmad bin Said al-Busaidi, ruler of Oman and its east African territories at the time.

The Shirazi people, also known as Mbwera, are a Bantu ethnic group inhabiting the Swahili coast and the nearby Indian ocean islands. They are particularly concentrated on the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and Comoros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economic history of the Arab world</span> Economic thought of Arab Muslim

Economic history of the Arab world addresses the history of economic activity in the Arabic-speaking countries and the stretching of Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean in the southeast from the time of its origins in the Arabian peninsula and spread in the 7th century CE Muslim conquests and since.

The following is a timeline of the history of Zanzibar City, Unguja island, Zanzibar, Tanzania. The city is composed of Ng'ambo and Stone Town. Until recently it was known as Zanzibar Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omani Empire</span> Omani maritime empire (1670–1970)

The Omani Empire was a maritime empire, vying with Portugal and Britain for trade and influence in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. After rising as a regional player in the 18th century, the empire at its peak in the 19th century saw its influence or control extend across the Strait of Hormuz to modern-day Iran and Pakistan, and as far south as Cape Delgado. After the death of Said bin Sultan in 1856 the empire was divided between his sons into two sultanates, an African section ruled by Majid bin Said and an Asian section ruled by Thuwaini bin Said.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ya'rubids</span> Rulers of Oman between 1624 and 1742

The Yarubid dynasty were rulers of Oman between 1624 and 1742, holding the title of Imam. They expelled the Portuguese from coastal strongholds in Muscat and united the country. They improved agriculture, expanded trade and built up Oman into a major maritime power. Their forces expelled the Portuguese from East Africa and established long-lasting settlements on Zanzibar, Mombasa and other parts of the coast. The dynasty lost power during a succession struggle that started in 1712 and fell after a prolonged period of civil war.

Sultan bin Saif bin Malik was the second of the Yaruba dynasty of Imams of Oman, a member of the Ibadi sect. He ruled from 1649 to 1679. He completed the work of his predecessor, Nasir bin Murshid, in driving the Portuguese out of Oman. Their last base in Muscat fell to his forces in January 1650. He built up Omani sea power, taking the fight against the Portuguese to their bases in India and East Africa. During his reign the country was peaceful and increasingly prosperous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slavery in Oman</span>

Slavery existed in the area which was later to become Oman from antiquity onward. Oman was united with Zanzibar from the 1690s until 1856, and was a significant center of the Indian Ocean slave trade from Zanzibar. Slavery was abolished in 1970.

References

  1. 1 2 Valeri, Marc (2007). "Nation-Building and Communities in Oman since 1970: The Swahili-Speaking Omani in Search of Identity". African Affairs. 106 (424): 479–496. doi:10.1093/afraf/adm020. ISSN   0001-9909. JSTOR   4496464.
  2. Lofchie, Michael F. (1965). Zanzibar: Background to Revolution. Princeton University Press. ISBN   978-0-691-00008-4. JSTOR   j.ctt183q0j7.
  3. Glassman, Jonathon (2011). War of Words, War of Stones: Racial Thought and Violence in Colonial Zanzibar. Indiana University Press. ISBN   978-0-253-22280-0.