Swahili Coastal Trade Network (1178)

Name: Swahili Coastal Trade Network (1178)
Start: 1177
End: 1179

Type Event Region Africa Time 1177–1179

In the later 12th century, Swahili coastal city-states were deeply integrated into the Indian Ocean trade system, trading gold, ivory, slaves, and ti…

Timeline

1178Kilwa Kisiwani · TanzaniaKilwa controlled trade on the southern Swahili coast, levying tariffs and monopolizing Sofala's gold export, attracting resident Persian and Indian merchants.
1178–1179Mombasa · KenyaNorthern ports such as Mombasa and Malindi formed a complementary trade chain with Kilwa, linking north to the Red Sea and south to the resource-producing Zimbabwe Plateau.

Sources

The Swahili: Reconstructing the History and Language of an African Society, 800-1500 — Derek Nurse and Thomas Spear (1985)
Kilwa: An Islamic Port on the East African Coast — Mark Horton and John Middleton (2000)