Books about Somalis before 1500: Greek, Arabic and Chinese writers

What these books are

Before 1500, the Somali coast appears in books written by outsiders who traded or travelled there. Greek merchants, Arab and Persian geographers, a Moroccan traveller and Chinese officials each wrote down what they saw or heard. None of these authors was Somali, and most never went inland, so the books describe the ports far more than the interior.

Arabic writers usually call the people of the northern coast Barbar and the land Bilad al-Barbar, and they describe the coast south of it as the land of the Zanj (Periplus, Wikipedia). Greek writers used the related name Barbaria (Periplus, Wikipedia). Chinese writers used Bobali or Bibaluo for the Berbera coast (Zhu Fan Zhi, Wikipedia).

What they record

They are the only written record of places such as Zeila, Berbera, Mogadishu, Marka and Brava for many centuries. Historians use them to date the arrival of Islam, the rise of Mogadishu as a trading city and the links between the Somali coast, Arabia, Persia, India and China. Ibn Battuta's visit in 1331 is the most detailed: he describes the sultan of Mogadishu, his court, the qadi and the city's food and cloth (Ibn Battuta, Rihla, trans. H. A. R. Gibb, Fordham Medieval Sourcebook). More on these towns is on The Somali coast towns, 1331 to 1586 and Medieval and early modern polities.

How to read them

Most of these works were written in Arabic, Greek or Chinese and later translated into English or French in the 19th and 20th centuries. The free links below go to scanned translations or editions where one exists. Where no free copy was found, the WorldCat link shows the nearest library that holds the book.

The books, oldest first

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (c. 40-70 CE)

Anonymous Greek merchant · Greek

Trade ports on the northern Somali coast (Malao, Mundus, Mosylon, Opone) on what the Greeks called the Barbaria coast; incense, cinnamon and tortoiseshell.

Where to read: Read free on Internet Archive · Wikipedia · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Geographia (c. 150 CE)

Claudius Ptolemy · Greek

Lists places on the Somali coast and the Gulf of Aden.

Where to read: Read free on Internet Archive · Open Library · Wikipedia · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Youyang Zazu (Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang) (c. 863)

Duan Chengshi · Chinese

Describes the land of Bobali (Berbera coast) and its people, cattle and ivory trade.

Where to read: Wikipedia · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Muruj al-Dhahab (Meadows of Gold) (947)

al-Mas'udi · Arabic

Sailing to the land of the Berbers and the Zanj on the East African coast.

Where to read: Read free on Internet Archive · Wikipedia · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Surat al-Ard (c. 977)

Ibn Hawqal · Arabic

Mentions Zeila as a port on the Habasha route.

Where to read: Wikipedia · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Nuzhat al-Mushtaq (Tabula Rogeriana) (1154)

al-Idrisi · Arabic

Describes Zeila, Berbera and the coast of the 'Barbar' south toward Marka.

Where to read: Wikipedia · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Mu'jam al-Buldan (Dictionary of Countries) (1224-1228)

Yaqut al-Hamawi · Arabic

Describes Mogadishu and its people, called 'Barbar', and their trade in sandalwood, ebony and ambergris.

Where to read: Find in a library (WorldCat)

Zhu Fan Zhi (Description of Foreign Peoples) (1225)

Zhao Rugua · Chinese

Describes the country of Bibaluo (Berbera) with its camels, sheep and frankincense, and Zhongli.

Where to read: Read free on Internet Archive · Wikipedia · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Kitab al-Jughrafiya (c. 1250-1286)

Ibn Sa'id al-Maghribi · Arabic

Names Mogadishu, Marka and Berbera; calls Mogadishu a city of Muslims.

Where to read: Wikipedia · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Masalik al-Absar (c. 1340s)

al-Umari · Arabic

Describes the Muslim states of the Horn including Adal (Awfat/Ifat) and their rulers.

Where to read: Wikipedia · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Rihla (The Travels) (1355)

Ibn Battuta · Arabic

His 1331 visit to Zeila and Mogadishu: the sultan's court, the qadi, the city's hospitality, food and cloth trade.

Where to read: Full page on this book · Read free on Internet Archive · Open Library · Wikipedia · Find in a library (WorldCat)

al-Ilmam bi-akhbar man bi-ard al-Habasha min muluk al-Islam (c. 1430s)

al-Maqrizi · Arabic

History of the Muslim kingdoms of the Horn, including Ifat and the Walashma dynasty.

Where to read: Wikipedia · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Xingcha Shenglan (Overall Survey of the Star Raft) (1436)

Fei Xin · Chinese

Ming fleet visits to Mogadishu (Mugudushu), Brava (Bulawa) and Juba; stone houses and dry land.

Where to read: Wikipedia · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Yingya Shenglan (1451)

Ma Huan · Chinese

Zheng He's voyages; notes on the East African ports visited by the fleet.

Where to read: Read free on Internet Archive · Wikipedia · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Kitab al-Fawa'id (c. 1490)

Ahmad ibn Majid · Arabic

Navigation guide naming Somali coast landmarks and ports.

Where to read: Wikipedia · Find in a library (WorldCat)

Related pages

• Books about Somalis, 1500 to 1884
• Books about Somalis: every era