What is "zanj"

Zanj (; from zang, meaning "Land of the Blacks" ) was a name used by medieval Muslim geographers to refer to both a certain portion of Southeast Africa (primarily the Swahili Coast), and to the area's Bantu inhabitants. This word is also the origin of the place name Zanzibar.

Zangī is Persian word meaning "negro, Black", and is recorded in Arabic as zanjī and in Turkish as zencî.