Sofala, Archaeological site in Sofala Province, Mozambique

Sofala, now Nova Sofala, lies on a pale tan island in the Buzi estuary, called the Cuama River on old maps. A cluster of red-roofed buildings stands near the shore, and a tall square grey stone tower rises toward the bottom of the island. The word "Fort" marks the ground beside the tower, where Fort São Caetano once stood.

Sofala emerged as a small trading post in the 10th century, supplied with gold carried by dhows along the Buzi River from Manica and the Great Zimbabwe fields. In the 1180s Sultan Suleiman Hassan of Kilwa seized the town, bringing it into the Kilwa Sultanate. In 1505 Pêro de Anaia, with sheikh Isuf's permission, built Fort São Caetano using stone imported from Europe; fevers and the move to Mozambique Island soon reduced it to an outpost.

Excavations reveal glass beads, pottery fragments and coins from different Indian Ocean coastal regions that converged here over centuries. Visitors walking through the site see traces of trading relationships that shaped daily work and connected local residents with distant markets.

Tours organized by the national heritage department cover different excavation areas spread across uneven terrain. Solid footwear helps, as many paths cross sandy stretches and loose rubble.

Archaeologists uncovered Chinese porcelain from the Ming Dynasty here, showing how far trade networks stretched across the Indian Ocean. These finds confirm that merchants from East Asia sailed to the southeast African coast to acquire ivory and gold.