Who Was When

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Swahili coast

AfricaHeartland today: Kenya and Tanzania

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A string of Muslim trading towns along the coast of Kenya and Tanzania, among them Kilwa, Mombasa and Zanzibar. They shipped East African gold and ivory across the Indian Ocean. Portuguese ships arrived in 1498, and Oman took Mombasa in 1698.

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Key events

  1. Market towns such as Shanga, Kilwa and Mombasa turn to sea trade, and Muslim traders settle on the coastDisputed

    PBS places the shift to sea trade between 500 and 800; National Geographic dates permanent Muslim settlement to the 8th century.

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  2. – Kilwa grows rich on gold from Sofala and builds a large palace and an enlarged Great Mosque

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  3. The Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta visits Kilwa and calls it one of the most beautiful towns in the world

    Translations of Ibn Battuta's description vary; World History Encyclopedia gives "one of the most beautiful towns in the world".

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  4. Vasco da Gama's ships sail up the coast, past Swahili ports full of trading vessels, on the way to India

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  5. A Portuguese fleet under Francisco de Almeida attacks Kilwa, drives out its king and builds a fort; it sacks Mombasa the same summer

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  6. – The Portuguese take Mombasa and build Fort Jesus as their base on the coastDisputed

    World History Encyclopedia dates the capture of Mombasa to 1593; Wikipedia gives 1593 to 1596 for building the fort.

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  7. Omani forces capture Portuguese Mombasa, leaving Portugal with only Mozambique on the east African coast

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