Kilwa sultanate rising

1140

The small Swahili port of Kilwa on the East African coast, ruled by Persian-descended Shirazi sultans, began its rise to commercial dominance over the Indian Ocean gold trade from Great Zimbabwe. Its stone mosque, built of coral, stood as one of the oldest stone mosques in sub-Saharan Africa. The sultanate's growing wealth attracted merchants from as far as Gujarat and the Persian Gulf, weaving East Africa into global trade networks.