The Kilwa Chronicle is a genealogy of the sultans who ruled Kilwa. The Kilwa Chronicle is written in both Arabic and Portuguese, but both have been altered for political purposes and cannot necessarily be trusted for validity. Kilwa's political structure was a pyramid with the sultan on top as the ruler, a royal family below him, an emir (military leader), a wazir (prime minister), a muhtasib (police chief), and a kadhi (Chief Justice). The sultans were advised by councils of princes, elders, and other important figures.Minor functions of government included governors, tax collector am and official auditors.

Political Systems

Great Zimbabwe is believed to have been a monarchy. The site of the ruins most likely served as a royal palace. Each of the ruins are labeled as separate architectural groups; Hill Complex, Valley Complex, and the Great Enclosure. Because there are no documents, there are only theories on what these three groups were used for; The three groups could have each belonged to a different King, or the three groups could have belonged to different social classes. (Hill Complex is believed to be a Temple, the Valley Complex is believed to have belonged to the Citizens, and The Great Enclosure was thought to have belonged to the King.