Kilwa Sultanate Prospers on East African Gold Trade

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On its coral island off the Tanzanian coast, the Kilwa Sultanate entered a period of commercial expansion fueled by gold flowing north from the mines of Zimbabwe and Mapungubwe. Kilwa's merchants served as intermediaries between the African interior and Indian Ocean trading networks - Arab dhows, Indian textiles, and Chinese porcelain all passed through its harbor. The Great Mosque of Kilwa, expanded in stone, announced the city's ambitions to every approaching sail.