Ancient History
Zambezi River Valley
The first inhabitants of what is now Mozambique were the San hunters and gatherers, ancestors of the Khoisani peoples. Between the 1st and 5th centuries AD, waves of Bantu-speaking peoples migrated from the north through the Zambezi River valley and then gradually into the plateau and coastal areas of Mozambique. The Bantu were farmers and iron workers.
Gold was a big source in the country.
Gold was a big source in the interior of the country, so prospectors and traders penetrated through the interior regions seeking this gold and slaves. By the 18th century, slaves had become an increasingly important part of Mozambiqueś overall export trade from the East Africa coast. Yao traders developed slave networks from the Marave area around the tip of Lake Nyasa to Kilwa and the Island of Mozambique.
When Portuguese explorers reached the coast of Mozambique in 1498, Arab trading settlements had existed along the coast and outlying islands for several centuries, and political control of the coast was in the hands of a string of local sultans. Muslims had actually lived in the region for quite some time; the famous Arab historian and geographer, Al-Masudi, reported Muslims amongst Africans in the land of Sofa in 947 (modern day Mozambique). Most of the local people had embraced Islam. The region lay at the southernmost end of a traditional trading world that encompassed the Red Sea, the Hadhramaut coast of Arabia and the Indian coast, described in the 1st-century coasting guide that is called the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. Around 1500, the Portuguese succeeded in their attempt to destroy most of the Islamic-African civilization in military campaigns. All the towns that are not willing to surrender to Portuguese terms are attacked with the Europeans claiming the violence as a Christian crusade against Islamic influence. As you will see later on in the website, this Muslim influence will play a big role throughout all of Mozambique's history.