Kilwa Island

The island of Kilwa Kisiwani lies off the East African coast, separated from the mainland by sheltered waters. Its Swahili port prospered through Indian Ocean trade, exchanging gold and ivory from the interior for goods from Arabia, India and China. The Great Mosque and the palace of Husuni Kubwa stood above a harbour visited by merchants from distant shores. In the sixteenth century the Portuguese built a fort on the island, bringing a new power into the coastal trading world.