Sultanate of Kilwa mints its first copper coins
1308
On the coral island off the Swahili coast, Sultan al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman issued copper falus for local trade while gold flowed north to Arabia. Kilwa's stone mosques and palace at Husuni Kubwa rivaled anything in the Indian Ocean world, its merchants dealing in ivory, gold dust, and enslaved people. The coinage marked the sultanate's commercial confidence at its zenith.
In context
Also in 1308 (3 other events on record)
- Duns Scotus dies in Cologne · Europe · Culture
- Malik Kafur's southern conquests begin · South Asia · War
- Albert I of Germany murdered by his nephew · Europe · Politics
Before and after in Africa
Before and after in Politics
Era
Late Middle Ages (1301–1500), one of 874 events from that era on Saeculum.