Decline of Kilwa and the Swahili Coast

Timeline

1. 1561–1565Mozambique Island · MozambiqueIn the 1560s, Portugal used Mozambique Island as its Indian Ocean command center, restricting Swahili vessels through the cartaz pass system; old trade hubs such as Kilwa could no longer conduct oceanic commerce independently, and their customs and transshipment functions shrank drastically.
2. 1566–1570Kilwa · KilwaBy the late 1560s, Kilwa City had fallen further into decline due to the shift of trade, population outflow, and competition from ports such as Mombasa and Zanzibar; the sultan's actual control over the coastal ports weakened, and the center of power on the Swahili Coast continued to shift eastward.