Much of the written records of sub-Saharan Africa from this period were written by outsiders. This does not mean that such accounts are necessarily untrustworthy or that they do not reveal useful information about African society. It does mean, however, that the writers’ beliefs, priorities, and previous experiences played a major role in shaping their vision of Africa. For example, we might begin by noting that the vast majority of firsthand written descriptions of sub-Saharan Africa from this period were written by Muslims and that Muslims were drawn to sub-Saharan Africa primarily by a desire for trade. Thus, Muslim accounts of Africa almost always stress the trade goods available in particular towns and regions, as well as local trade policies and taxes. Muslim authors and their readers also possessed a deep knowledge of northern Africa and East Africa, developed in the many centuries that followed Islamic expansion and conquest in the region. Thus, when Muslim writers turned their attention to sub-Saharan Africa, they did so with clear points of comparison. As you read the selections included in this feature, keep such issues in mind. What does each account reveal about the attitudes and assumptions of its author?