Kilwa Sultanate

Timeline

1. 1161–1165Kilwa Kisiwani · Lindi RegionThe sultan of Kilwa controlled downstream ports such as Sofala and Mbamba through suzerain relations, exporting gold, ivory, and slaves and importing Persian pottery, Indian cotton cloth, and Arabian horses. The monsoon trade season of the 1160s still operated on an annual cycle, and port tariffs were the sultan's main source of revenue.
2. 1166–1170Kilwa Kisiwani · Lindi RegionOver this decade Kilwa continued to expand its coral-stone mosques and palaces; Swahili became the common language of the coast, and Islamic law and Bantu customary law operated side by side. The sultanate maintained contact with trade routes to the inland Zimbabwe region, accumulating capital and political prestige for the trade heyday of the 13th century.