| Trade routes that led from the heart of the continent to the East African coast gradually gave rise to Swahili culture a blend of Arab, Indian and Bantu influences that created one of the most developed trade networks in the Indian Ocean. – Although archaeological evidence shows the area was used as a trading port for Greek and Persian ships as early as 400 BC, permanent coastal settlements only developed around 800 AD, when civilizations around the Indian Ocean were wealthy... | (Not translated) | Edit |