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Swahili Coastal Trade

Type Event Region East Africa Time 1161–1170

In the 1160s, Swahili city-state trade networks on the East African Indian Ocean coast continued to flourish, with ports like Kilwa, Mogadishu, and M…

Timeline

  1. 1161–1164Kilwa · TanzaniaThe Sultanate of Kilwa controlled trade on the southern Swahili coast, influencing southern ports such as Sofala through suzerain relations, monopolizing part of the gold export and drawing tariffs from it; accumulated wealth drove stone building and mosque construction.
  2. 1164–1167Mogadishu · SomaliaNorthern Swahili ports such as Mogadishu, Malindi, and Pate were closely linked to Indian Ocean shipping; Arab and Gujarati merchants brought textiles and porcelain in exchange for ivory and slaves carried overland from Africa's interior to the coast.
  3. 1167–1170Swahili Coast, East Africa · East AfricaSwahili's status as a trade lingua franca was consolidated, Islamic faith merged with Bantu cultural traditions, and the coastal city-states developed distinctive architecture, literature, and legal systems, becoming a cultural bridge between Africa's interior and the Indian Ocean world.

Sources