Songo Mnara

Songo Mnara was a Swahili stone town on an island near Kilwa Kisiwani off the southern Tanzanian coast. Occupied from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century, it formed part of the Indian Ocean trading world. Its buildings were constructed of coral and mortar; archaeologists have identified mosques, cemeteries, house blocks and enclosed open spaces.

Excavated objects include Kilwa-type coins and ceramics from China and Southeast Asia, evidence of connections beyond the island. Houses, wells, graves and open areas also reveal the organisation of everyday life within the settlement. The stone town was later abandoned, leaving a compact archaeological record of the coastal community.