In this episode Zeinab Badawi travels to several countries and looks at the early spread of Islam in Africa and how many Africans practise to this day a mystic, Sufi form of the religion.

She shows how not only Islam but Arab culture came to influence a large part of the continent, particularly in the north.

And she charts the rise of the powerful Islamic dynasties of North Africa, that built magnificent monuments, mosques and empires, including a part of southern Europe and who helped determine the path of this part of the continent.

Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica
Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa
Facebook:   / bbcnewsafrica  
Twitter:   / bbcafrica  
Instagram:   / bbcafrica