Mahilaka

Mahilaka was a trading settlement on Madagascar's northwestern coast, near the Bay of Ampasindava. Its remains reveal a walled town whose inhabitants took part in the maritime networks linking Madagascar with the Comoros and the East African coast. Imported ceramics and traces of stone buildings distinguish the site from many inland settlements. Its walls enclosed a large area beside the coastal waters of the bay.

Founded by around the eleventh century, Mahilaka flourished during the medieval expansion of trade across the western Indian Ocean. Its inhabitants obtained goods from overseas while drawing on the resources of the Malagasy hinterland. The town declined after several centuries, but its remains bear witness to the early connections between the island and the Swahili and Comorian worlds.