High Middle Ages · Africa · Exploration
1073
Kilwa Sultanate Prospers on East African Gold Trade
1073
On its coral island off the Tanzanian coast, the Kilwa Sultanate entered a period of commercial expansion fueled by gold flowing north from the mines of Zimbabwe and Mapungubwe. Kilwa's merchants served as intermediaries between the African interior and Indian Ocean trading networks - Arab dhows, Indian textiles, and Chinese porcelain all passed through its harbor. The Great Mosque of Kilwa, expanded in stone, announced the city's ambitions to every approaching sail.
In context
Also in 1073 (3 other events on record)
- Hildebrand elected as Pope Gregory VII · Europe · Religion
- Badr al-Jamali Rescues Fatimid Egypt from Collapse · Middle East · Politics
- Mahmud of Kashgar writes Diwan Lughat al-Turk · Central Asia · Culture
Before and after in Africa
Before and after in Exploration
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.