ian ▁pen ins ula , ▁shortly ▁after ▁the ▁hij ra . ▁Ze ila ' s ▁two - mi h rab ▁Mas j id ▁al - Q ib lat ay n ▁dates ▁to ▁the ▁ 7 th ▁century . ▁The ▁spread ▁of ▁Islam ▁brought ▁Arab ▁trad ers ▁as ▁far ▁as ▁Mor oc co . ▁The ▁Ad al ▁Sultan ate ▁in ▁the ▁Horn ▁region ▁also ▁maintained ▁bil ater al ▁relations ▁with ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁Empire . ▁The ▁institution al ▁framework ▁for ▁long - distance ▁trade ▁across ▁political ▁and ▁cultural ▁boundaries ▁had ▁long ▁been ▁strength ened ▁by ▁the ▁ad option ▁of ▁Islam ▁as ▁a ▁cultural ▁and ▁moral ▁foundation ▁for ▁trust ▁among ▁and ▁with ▁trad ers . ▁ ▁On ▁the ▁Sw ah ili ▁Coast ▁to ▁the ▁sout heast , ▁the ▁Sultan ▁of ▁Mal indi ▁sent ▁en vo ys ▁to ▁the ▁Chinese ▁imperial ▁palace ▁in ▁Nan j ing ▁Y ong le ▁bearing ▁a ▁g ira ffe ▁and ▁other ▁ex otic ▁g ifts . ▁ ▁European ▁influence ▁ ▁Early ▁European ▁colon ization ▁ ▁The ▁earliest ▁European ▁colon ists ▁settled ▁in ▁North ▁Africa ▁in ▁ancient ▁times . ▁These ▁colon ists ▁included ▁Pho en icians ▁and ▁Gree ks . ▁S ett lers ▁from ▁ancient ▁Ath ens ▁and ▁other ▁parts ▁of ▁Greece ▁established ▁themselves ▁along ▁the ▁Mediter rane an ▁coast ▁of ▁North ▁Africa . ▁They ▁were ▁later ▁followed ▁by ▁colon ists ▁of ▁the ▁Roman ▁Empire . ▁Rome ' s ▁colon ies ▁" ser ved ▁as ▁a ▁prototype " ▁for ▁later ▁European ▁colonial ▁movement ▁into ▁the ▁continent . ▁ ▁Portugal ▁was ▁the ▁first