A SULTANATE IN OTTOMAN AFRICA: ZANZIBAR
The veil over Ottoman Africa, which covers political as well as cultural areas and reflects the Ottoman’s sphere of influence beyond its military powers, is lifted thanks to the work of Hatice Uğur. The Ottoman trails, subsequently erased by the colonialist interpretation of history, can be considered one of the most important aspects of the historical and cultural heritage of Africa; illustrated by the story of the Sultanate of Zanzibar located on the coast of Ottoman Africa, one of the most important political powers in the 19th century.
In order to understand the concept of Ottoman Africa one should comprehend the relationship between the Muslim Zanzibar Sultanate and the Ottoman state, as well as the nature of this relationship. Based on the example of the Zanzibar Sultanate, the author strives to show the extent of Ottoman Africa’s borders, in terms of both time and space. She does this by looking beyond the political borders and examining the military, economic and socio-cultural borders of Ottoman Africa which extended to the centre and even the southern reaches of Sub-Saharan Africa.
