2007/09/01 by Giancarlo Casale · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Global Maritime and Colonial Histories #Colonialism, slavery, and trade #African history and culture analysis #Portuguese #Swahili #Politics #Ancient history #History #Indian ocean #Ottoman empire #Plot (graphics) #Arabic #Geography #Political science #Law #Geology #Oceanography #Philosophy
paper · doi:10.1353/jwh.2007.0020
openalex publication_date 2007/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Yemen with a small war fl eet and headed for the Portuguese-controlled city-states of Africa's Swahili coast. Although ultimately unsuccessful, his expedition was conceived as only the fi rst step in an extended effort to create a centralized Ottoman imperial infrastructure throughout the Indian Ocean basin. And had it not been for the fortuitous intervention of several thousand "Zimba" warriors on the eve of the fi nal encounter between Ottoman and Portuguese forces at Mombasa in March 1589, the available evidence suggests that Mir Ali and his men might very well have carried the day.