one of "the richest nations in the world". It was a hub of international trade, linking the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and India.

The trade linking East Africa with the Mediterranean world largely consisted of exporting ivory from Africa to be sold in the Roman Empire. Ships from Himyar regularly travelled along the East African coast, and the state also exerted significant cultural, religious, and political influence over the trading cities of East Africa, whilst the cities of East Africa remained