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Kilwa Coastal Trading City
Kilwa (Kilwa Kisiwani) was an important Swahili coastal city-state in East Africa, rising around the 10th–11th centuries, famed for Indian Ocean–inte…
Timeline
- c. 1100Kilwa Kisiwani · TanzaniaKilwa controlled shipping in the northern Mozambique Channel, linking to trade routes of the Persian Gulf, India, and the South China Sea; buildings such as the coral-stone Great Mosque marked its status as a center of Swahili culture.
- 1181–1190Kilwa Kisiwani · TanzaniaAccording to the tradition recorded in the Kilwa Chronicles, by the late 12th century Kilwa was already a major hub for gold exports and entrepôt trade; port tariffs and a city-state alliance sustained its regional hegemony. Historical records differ on the specific dynastic lineages, and the early construction of the coral-stone Great Mosque also dates to the 12th century.
Sources
- UNESCO: Kilwa Kisiwani / Songo Mnara https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/144
- Kilwa Kisiwani https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilwa_Kisiwani