Trade of the Kilwa Sultanate

Timeline

1. 1351–1355Kilwa Kisiwani Port · Swahili CoastDuring the monsoon trading cycle, Kilwa Port received merchant ships from Hormuz, Aden, Gujarat, and elsewhere; the port city, marked by its coral-stone architecture and mosque complexes, continued to prosper, becoming the foremost trade center on the East African coast.
2. 1353–1358Sofala · MozambiqueKilwa exchanged gold and ivory with the kingdoms of the Zimbabwe Plateau through southern ports such as Sofala; caravans carried inland goods along the Zambezi River basin to the coast, where they were resold to Indian Ocean merchants.
3. 1331–1360Kilwa Kisiwani · Swahili CoastThe traveler Ibn Battuta once praised Kilwa as one of the most beautiful cities in East Africa; in the 1350s its trade patterns and architectural landscape largely continued this period of prosperity, with Swahili Islamic culture developing deeply in the coastal cities.