A coastal settlement by the mangrove creek south of modern Bagamoyo, founded about 800, whose ruins hold two mosques and some thirty tombs dated to the thirteenth century and later (the older mosque is often called among the oldest on the mainland coast).
Plain Ware pottery of the tenth to thirteenth centuries is found here and at its neighbours. On 1 January 1200 it is a Swahili village or small town; whether the first stone mosque stood yet is not pinned.
Who holds it
- Title
- Headman
- Since
- Not pinned
- Confidence
- low
Lord in 1200
Its own headmen; no ruler recorded.
How things stand that morning
A village or small town under its own headmen.
Charter
None known: Swahili towns had no written charters.
Council
Not recorded.
Communities
Swahili-speaking coast people, Muslim at least in part.
Fairs and markets
No fairs; trade follows the monsoon season (ships arrive with the north-east kaskazi from about November and leave with the south-west kusi from about April).
Militia
Not recorded.
Trade and crafts
Coastal trade, fishing, mangrove poles, salt; the landing for goods from the hinterland.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Ruins and excavations (Chittick, Chami), dated broadly.
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia, Kunduchi Ruins (Plain Ware of the tenth to thirteenth centuries at Kaole, Mbuamaji and Kunduchi)
- Wikipedia, Bagamoyo (Kaole founded about 800; mosques and tombs of the thirteenth century)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.