Place · city

Sofala

Sofala was a port on the coast of modern Mozambique, an important centre of the gold trade from the Zimbabwean plateau. Swahili and Arab merchants traded there, and the Portuguese later built a fort. The Mutapa Empire and Rozvi Empire profiles mention Sofala as a coastal outlet for gold and ivory.

Sofala
Image: Mallet · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 3 profiles

Mutapa EmpireSocioeconomyRozvi EmpireImpactMombasaSocioeconomy

Mentioned in 9 state histories

Sultanate of MogadishuKilwa SultanateKingdom of MapungubweKingdom of ZimbabweSultanate of AngocheKingdom of UteveKingdom of MadandaPortuguese MozambiqueMozambique Company

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Sofala. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sofala
MLA
“Sofala.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sofala. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Sofala.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sofala.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Sofala’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sofala (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻