Kilwa Kisiwani - Medieval Trade Center of Africa

On a small island off the coast of the modern country of Tanzania, eastern Africa, lies the site of Kilwa Kisiwani, also called Kilwa, the most important of about thirty-five trading sites on the Indian Ocean during the 11th through 16th centuries AD. Kilwa (spelled Quiloa in Portuguese) was a bustling and important trade city on the east coast of Africa, whose rulers traded with India, China, and Africa.

This undated Portuguese map of Kilwa was printed in the Latin text called Civitates Orbis Terrarum, in 1572. Image courtesy the Historic Cities Project at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

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Related Resources: Kilwa Kisiwani | Medieval Africa | African History | Archaeology of Africa