Chapter X · East African Coast
Swahili
Coast
Kilwa · Mombasa · Zanzibar
East African Coast
Kilwa · Mombasa · Zanzibar
Chapter X
For a thousand years before European ships arrived, the East African coast was the western shore of the Indian Ocean world — trading gold, iron, cloth, and enslaved people with Arabia, Persia, India, and China. Kilwa was described by Ibn Battuta as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The Swahili language that emerged from this trade is now spoken by over 200 million people across the continent.
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Key dates
~800 CE
Swahili city-states established along the coast
1331
Ibn Battuta visits Kilwa Kisiwani — calls it "among the most beautiful of cities"
1498
Vasco da Gama arrives at Malindi — Portuguese enter the Indian Ocean
1832
Omani Sultanate moves capital to Zanzibar
1964
Zanzibar Revolution; union with Tanganyika to form Tanzania
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From the archive
Empires and heroes drawn from the Africanpedia catalogue for this region.
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Chapter X · East African Coast
Swahili Coast
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