Indian Ocean Trade of the Kilwa Sultanate (1390s)

Timeline

1. 1391–1395Kilwa Port · TanzaniaEach year, as the southwest and northeast monsoons alternated, fleets of Arab, Persian, and Gujarati merchants arrived at Kilwa Port, exchanging cotton cloth, glass beads, and metalware for the ivory and gold brought from Africa's interior.
2. 1393–1398Coastal ports of the Kilwa Sultanate · Swahili CoastGold coins minted by the Kilwa Sultanate circulated widely around the Indian Ocean; the sultan controlled southern ports such as Sofala through a suzerain-vassal system, monopolizing certain sea-access channels for inland resources and extracting customs duties.
3. 1396–1400Around the Great Mosque of Kilwa · TanzaniaTrade profits supported coral-stone architecture and Islamic scholarly activities; Swahili city-states such as Kilwa formed an Arab-African fused urban culture, maintaining one of the most prosperous commercial centers on the western rim of the Indian Ocean before the Portuguese advance eastward.