Islamization in the Coastal region of Kenya to the end the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

The first Muslims to arrive in what is now Kenya came by sea more than a thousand years ago. Whether they were Arabs or Persians, and exactly where they came from, may never be known. Present evidence indicates that they were most likely from the region of the Persian Gulf. Some came as traders for seasonal visits, or a temporary stay; others came as immigrants and settled in island and mainland towns, always near, though not necessarily on, the coast. The first Muslim settlers were followed by others and, as time passed, the number of Muslim settlements in the coastal region increased.