The idea
Stories about African trade often stop at the Sahara. The Indian Ocean coast had its own trading cities.
The city
Kilwa was an island off the coast of East Africa, in what is now southern Tanzania, and flourished as an independent city-state from the 12th to the 15th century.[1] It could mint its own copper coins from the 11th or 12th century.[1]
What made it rich
It exported ivory, tortoise shells, copper, timber, incense, rock crystal, grain and rhino horns.[1] Gold from Zimbabwe reached the port of Sofala, which helped make Kilwa the most prosperous of the Swahili coast cities.[1]
Palace and mosque
The Husuni Kubwa palace was a complex of almost 10,000 square metres.[1] The Great Mosque, begun in the 14th century, had monolithic coral columns.[1]
The Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta, visiting around 1331, called Kilwa one of the most beautiful towns in the world.[1]
The decline
Portuguese forces attacked Kilwa in 1505, leaving many buildings in ruins, and the city's decline began.[1]
- A single encyclopedia article. Dates and the size of the palace should be checked against archaeological reports.
- Nothing here about the people who lived in Kilwa or how the Swahili coast is remembered there today.
- The place's modern state, and whether it is protected, are not covered.
What readers add
Sources
- Encyclopedia · to verify[1] Kilwa. World History Encyclopedia. www.worldhistory.org retrieved 8 Oct 2026
Non-profit encyclopedia article. Used for Kilwa's trade, coins, buildings, Ibn Battuta's visit and the Portuguese attack. Check against an archaeological source.
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