Zanj Trade Route

Timeline

1. c. 800–1200East African Rift Valley to the coast · East AfricaFrom the 8th to 12th centuries, Arab and Persian merchants established trading stations along the East African coast, obtaining interior ivory and goods through local intermediaries, forming the early prototype of Zanj trade.
2. c. 1301–1310Sofala-Kilwa trade route · TanzaniaBetween 1301 and 1310, the Zanj trade route used Sofala as its southern hub, carrying gold from inland gold-producing areas such as Great Zimbabwe overland to the ports, then exporting it across the Indian Ocean together with ivory and slaves from ports such as Kilwa.
3. c. 1310–1600Zanj region of East Africa · ZanjFrom the 14th to 15th centuries the Zanj trade route extended southward with Kilwa's expansion; in the 16th century Portugal controlled the main ports and altered trade duties and commodity structures, and the traditional trade routes gradually gave way to a colonial trading system.