Sankofa stage: Understand
Kilwa Kisiwani, on an island off southern Tanzania, was a Swahili port city at its height in the 13th and 14th centuries.
A trading hub
Gold and ivory from the African interior were exchanged for silver, carnelians, perfumes, Persian faience and Chinese porcelain. Kilwa minted its own coins from the 11th to the 14th century.
A visitor’s view
The traveller Ibn Battuta stopped at Kilwa in 1331–1332 and described it as one of the most beautiful cities of the world. Its decline began after the Portuguese built a fort there in the 16th century.