Early history

The Comoros Islands were very likely inhabited by Malayo-Polynesian sailors as early as the sixth century AD. Arabs and Africans were later arrivals.

For hundreds of years, the islands were a centre for traffic in slaves and spices. Between the 10th and 15th centuries, people from the areas around the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf came to the islands and established Islam. These people set up rival sultanates and while no political stability or unity was achieved, Islam gave the people homogeneity and it has subsequently dominated all aspects of the islands' social life.