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Swahili Coast Trade
In the 1120s, Swahili Coast city-states in East Africa leveraged Indian Ocean monsoon routes to form a thriving entrepôt trade network with Arab, Per…
Timeline
- 1120–1125Mogadishu · SomaliaArab and Persian merchants used the monsoons to travel between the Gulf of Aden and the East African coast, bringing Indian cotton cloth, spices, and Gulf pearls to ports such as Mogadishu and Langu, in exchange for gold and ivory from the Zimbabwe Plateau interior.
- 1126–1129Kilwa · TanzaniaKilwa, benefiting from its control of the southern gold trade route, became one of the most powerful city-states on the Swahili Coast in the 12th century, building mosques and stone structures; Ibn Battuta later recorded its prosperity.
Sources
- Swahili city-states https://www.britannica.com/place/Swahili-coast
- Kilwa Kisiwani https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/144/