VENTURES AFRICA – Zanzibar is probably the worst-kept secret of the Indian Ocean. It is famous for its unique architecture with African influences from Oman, Europe, India and its pristine white sand washed clear water.
The Stone Town of Zanzibar is a fine example of the Swahili coastal trading towns of East Africa. It retains virtually intact tissue and urban landscape, and many fine buildings that reflect its particular culture, fusion of disparate elements of African cultures, Arab, Indian and European for more than one millennium.
Two great cultural traditions have merged to form the Swahili civilization on the eastern coast of Africa. A series of port cities developed under influences originating within Africa and land on the other side of the Indian Ocean. Some coastal towns States had gathered under the aegis of a loose confederation known as the Zenj Bar (Black Empire), from the eighth to the tenth century. The best preserved of these cities is Zanzibar, which derives its name root of the Arab-Persian word meaning “the coast of Black.”
The oldest of these cities can be found in the Unguja Ukuu excavations on the island of Zanzibar, where Roman and Sasanian pottery of the fifth century of the Christian era have been discovered. Nearby is the Kizimkazi mosque, a 12th century building.
It is among the many sites that attest to the existence, between the eighth and fifteenth centuries, a vast civilization, highly developed, which probably reached its peak in Kilwa, in the fourteenth century.
The arrival of the Portuguese in the late fifteenth century destabilized the Swahili heritage. After visiting this part of Africa, the explorer Vasco da Gama returned from India in 1499, the Portuguese decided to run their commercial activities here on a loose suzerainty on the Swahili coast. However, they found themselves forced to perpetuate when the Turks, and later, the rival European powers, challenged their authority. A church and a few merchant houses were built in Zanzibar, where stood, since the tenth century, a fishing village (Shangani), simple houses with wattle and daub walls and roofs of palm leaves. They then added an imposing fort on the sea front; however, the Portuguese influence nevertheless remained limited, and faded at the end of the seventeenth century, with the fall of Fort Jesus in Mombasa.
Gradually, the Omani Arabs arrived and started exchanging grain, dried fish, ivory and slaves with the Portuguese. The Omani ruler, Seyyid Said, is the leader who made Zanzibar the capital of his domain. The stone buildings, borrowed from Persian Shirazi via the important trading center of Kilwa technique experienced a huge boom.
It was not until the late eighteenth century, the slave markets expanded: it took a lot of men to plant sugar cane on the French island located on the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean. In the early nineteenth century, the collapse of the slavery traffic following the wars between the English and French was that many slaves were used in the clove plantations on the island of Zanzibar.
The nineteenth century was also the period of a major expansion of trade in the region of the Indian Ocean. The ruling Islamic dynasty of Zanzibar and its merchants (Indians, Swahilis, Arabs and Africans inland) became very rich and embellished the city of stoned palaces and magnificent mansions. With a variety of styles and traditions, these structures were amalgamated and integrated with a characteristic Swahili architecture.
The revolution of 1964 marked the end of the Arab influence and the rise of the United Republic of Tanzania. It led many profound social and economic changes. Many of the richest Arab and Indian merchants and craftsmen left the country, leaving behind their homes and shops. The government settled immigrants from rural areas and the neighboring island of Pemba, and the buildings deteriorated due to lack of maintenance. The new wave of construction in the city of stone ended in the late 60s and early 70s, focusing development in growth areas. In the 80s, the construction continued, with contemporary styles and discordance with the historic fabric materials. It is only since the establishment of the Authority for conservation and development of the city of stone, in 1985, that some coordination of the construction was implemented.
Stone Town is the perfect place to feel the special atmosphere of Zanzibar. On your way to the gorgeous white sandy shores on the island or on your way back, you can either stop at the ‘Serena Luxe Hotel’. The sight is enough for tourists to discover, appreciate and enjoy Stone Town, the heart of Zanzibar.
Lose yourself in the narrow streets, stop in front of each of its splendor every time you get a chance. If you choose to stay only a few nights in Zanzibar (after a safari experience for instance), you may want to do more and unpack your bags or may be changing hotels… one thing is for sure, you will not leave until you have tasted the Zanzibar beaches. Tanzanians will often invite you to spend a day on the Mangapwani beach (30 minutes drive north from the old city).
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