Zanj
/zændʒ/noun
A historical Arabic term for Black East Africans and, by extension, the East African coast.
Did you know?The Zanj Revolt in southern Iraq, traditionally dated from 869 to 883 CE, challenged the Abbasid caliphate; however, “Zanj” was a broad label, not a precise modern ethnic identity.
Etymological Timeline
Possibly pre-Islamic
Persian
zang
“A term associated with Black people or Ethiopia; often proposed as a source, though the deeper etymology is uncertain.”
Early Islamic period
Arabic
zanǧ
“Black East Africans, especially people from the coastlands south of Arabia.”
9th Century
Arabic
Bilād al-Zanj
“The “land of the Zanj,” referring broadly to the East African coast.”
869–883 CE
Arabic
Thawrat al-Zanj
“The Zanj Revolt, a major uprising in southern Iraq against Abbasid rule.”
16th–18th Century
European languages
Zanguebar
“A historical European form for the East African coastal region, derived through Arabic and Portuguese usage.”
Modern English
English
Zanj
“A historical term for Black East Africans or the East African coast, usually encountered in academic and historical writing.”
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