A product of African, Arabian, and Persian cultures, Kilwa was an economic powerhouse that oversaw the flow of gold from its place on the Swahili Coast. The ruins of the Husuni Kubwa, the palace ...

These broken pieces of pots were found on the shores of Kilwa Kiswani, an island off Tanzania, which was once home to a major medieval African port. The pale green porcelain pieces are from China ...

When, in 1500, the Portuguese reached Kilwa, an island city-state on the East African coast, they marveled at the tall buildings made of coral stone and noted how the islanders wore fine clothes of ...

The harbor at the island of Kilwa was for hundreds of years one of the wealthiest areas of Africa. Since ancient times, this trading post connected the continent to the rest of the world.

From the 13th to the 16th century, the merchants of Kilwa dealt in gold, silver, pearls, perfumes, Arabian crockery, Persian earthenware and Chinese porcelain; much of the trade in the Indian Ocean ...