Zanzibar

Unguja (Zanzibar)

Zanzibar (from the Persian Zendji-Bar, which means ‘land of blacks’) is located about 35 kilometres off the coast of Tanzania. It comprises the 1,464 square kilometre main island of Unguja (also known as Zanzibar); the island of Pemba (868 – square kilometres), which is located about 50 kilometres north of Unguja and famed for its deep-sea fishing and scuba-diving; and a number of smaller islands. Kiswahili is the main language and more than 90 per cent of the population is Muslim. Visitors should dress modestly in public places. Zanzibar is warm almost all the year round with heavy rains from March to May and lesser rains during October and November. February is the hottest month with a maximum average temperature of 29 dgrees Celsius, while in August the temperature falls to 21 degrees Celsius.

Think of Zanzibar and images of romantic dhows with curved white sails, veiled women, ancient ruins and exotic spices float before your eyes. Zanzibar is known throughout the world as the jewel of the Indian Ocean and has a romantic, colourful history of seafarers and explorers, of riches and tragedy, and the dark stain of slavery.

Once the trading centre of the whole of East Africa, Zanzibar attracted Sumerians, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Arabs, Chinese and Malays. The great explorers, Burton, Speke, Livingstone and Krapf continued their journeys from these shores. Zanzibar consists of two main islands, Zanzibar and Pemba, surrounded by about 50 smaller ones. Zanzibar Town, on Zanzibar Island, is the national capital of Zanzibar and the seat of government.

The city of Zanzibar consists of two distinct areas – Stone Town and Ngambo. In Stone Town shadows play with shafts of sunlight. Here and there, one will catch a glimpse of ornate latticework on a balcony or admire the intricacy of a carved door in sun warmed wood. A narrow staircase winds its way into a cool interior, children’s voices echo in a hidden courtyard, old men chat next to the coloured, crumbling stone walls and tantalising scents of spices wreathe doorways and dark corners.

A walk through the narrow, twisting streets of stone town plunges you into the past. The houses are over 150 years old and are constructed from the island’s coral stone. Built by Arab and Indian merchants, in the 19th century, this is the only functioning historical city in East Africa.

The slave trade lasted over 60 years in the market in Zanzibar. Every year, between 10,000 and 40,000 slaves were sold. The Anglican Church of Christ stands on the site of the old slave market – the altar occupies the spot where the whipping block used to be.

Visit the bustling market where anything and everything is for sale. Explore the house of wonders with its intricate lattice wood carving, a famous sight in Zanzibar. The National Museum is an excellent place to learn more about islands.

A spice tour is a specialty of Zanzibar and involves a walk in the western and central regions of the island through plantations, private gardens and forests. There are more than 50 different spices and fruit – cinnamon, pepper, ginger, tamarind, coffee, ylang-ylang, coco, and sugarcane. Coconuts are another main produce of the archipelago.

From Dar-es-Salaam

You can fly to Zanzibar (Unguja) with Air Tanzania, which operates several flights a week, or by private charter. However, most people travel by sea: motorised dhow, ferry catamaran or hydrofoil.

Further Iinformation

For more information, contact the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism, P. O. Box 1410, Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Beaches

The East Coast of Zanzibar island is ideal for those who wish to get away from it all. Picturesque villages fringe white beaches and crystal waters.

Haunting Echoes of Long Ago

The ruins of Zanzibar convey something of the mystery, intrigue and exoticism of the island’s past and they are well worth a visit.

In the north, the Mtoni Palace, accommodating 1,000 people, was built in the 19th Century by an Arab merchant. Today the courtyard with a row of stone baths at one end and the aqueduct that supplied water to the house, remain.

The Maruhubi Palace was built between 1870 and 1888 by Sultan Barghash for the harem. It burnt down in 1899 and only a few rooms and arches remain.

Built by Sultan Seyyid Said for his second wife at the beginning of the 19th Century, the Persian Battis of Kidehi are a remarkably preserved series of domed bathhouses wth deep stone baths and massive seats.

The Shirazi Ruins on Tumibatu Island are those of a large ancient town dating from the 12th Century that contains 40 stone houses.

The Dunga Ruins are on the main road heading out of Zanzibar Town towards Chwaka. The palace was built by the last and the most feared of a long line of chiefs.

Stone Town

The cultural heart of Zanzibar, Stone Town, was built by Arab and Indian merchants in the 19th century. Everywhere else on the island, houses are built using the traditional wattle and mud daub. Yet in Stone Town, the buildings are made from small blocks of coral limestone bound with a mixture of lime and laterite, a technique that enables the construction of multi-storey structures. Most have three floors, and are decorated with elaborately carved wooden doors and balconies, inspired by the carvings of Bombay.

Unlike the older parts of many of the world’s cities, Stone Town. There are about 15,000 permanent inhabitants and a ‘floating population’ of more than 100,000, which includes the 90 per cent of civil servants who work here.

In recent years, many buildings have collapsed or fallen into a serious state of disrepair. Most of the 1,900 or so buildings in the 96-hectare site are only about 200 years old, explains Mwalim Ali Mwalim, senior architect for the Stone Town Conservation and Development Authority (STCDA). However, most feature two significant design faults: firstly, a flat roof that is fine for Oman’s dry climate but unsuitable for Zanzibar’s rainfall; secondly, the buildings have no damp-proofing, so the majority of ground floors are inundated with damp. Water, he says, is “public enemy number one” and ultimately the cause of most house collapses. And although many flat roofs have been replaced by pitched ones, this has often meant the loss of the traditional crenellations that crown many older buildings.

Another problem is what Mwalim Ali refers to as “infills” – the building that are constructed to occupy the gaps left by collapsed or abandoned structures. Many replacement buildings resemble “boxers’ teeth”. The buildings also go against the recommendations of the STCDA, but the authority is powerless to prevent them being built without more resources. Like so many of Tanzania’s historical sites, Stone Town desperately needs funding to help arrest its deterioration. And contrary to a common-held belief, it is not yet on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Few could deny that it should be.

Islands Off Zanzibar

There are tiny deserted islands a few kilometres off the western tip of Zanzibar town. Chunguu Island, also known as Prison Island, was owned by an Arab who used it to imprision slaves. A prison was built there in 1893 but was never used. The ruins can still be seen.

Grave Island is famous for its beautiful beaches, swimming, snorkelling and sunbathing. The island has been used as a Christian cementry for many years. Other islands include Bat and Snake islands which are not frequented by visitors.

Visitor facilities include:

Pemba – Garden of the Gods

Arabs knew Pemba Island as the “Green Island”, named after the lush vegetation of the coast. From afar, the Island resembles a floating forest. Archeological sites of great interest have been unearthened dating from the ninth to the 15th Century.They contain the ruins of mosques, houses, funeral pillars and coins, pearls and pottery fragments.

Pemba’s earliest ruins are located near Chake Chake. The site contains several houses, three pillars, tombs and a great 14th Century mosque. At Pujini you can see the remains of a 14th century fortified settlement with a citadel, mosque, several graves and a lily pond.

The three main towns of Pemba are Wete, Mkoani and Chake Chake. Pemba produces 80 per cent of the cloves grown in the archipelago. The spice was brought from Mairitius in the 19th Century by Omani merchants. The island is also blessed with plenty of fish. The Pemba Channel located between the island and the mainland is upto 400 fathoms deep and is recgnized as the site for some of the finest game fishing in the world.

• There are government-owned hotels in each of the island’s three main towns.

Mafia Island – Angling on Adrenaline

Some 160 km to the south of Zanzibar lies Mafia, a favourite haunt of big-game fishermen and scuba divers. Following the tradition of Ernst Hemmingway, sports fishermen come from all over the world for the superb specimens of kingfish, marlin, horsemackeral, sailfish and huge rock cod. The rare and exotic dugong breeds in the Mafia Channel. Giant turtles lay their eggs on the smaller islands east of Mafia during the northeastern monsoon.

There are ruins of a settlement at Ras Kisimani. A 13th century mosque has been escavated here.

Visitor facilities include:

Mafia Island Lodge
P.O.Box 2, Mafia
Tel: 76 Zanzibar

Central Rservations,
Tahi, Arusha
Tel: (+57) 8502 / 2711

Underwater Inspiration

Zanzibar is connected to the African Continent by a shallow submerged shelf and as such is considered to be an extension of the mainland. Pemba is a real island, separated from the mainland by depths of over 3000 ft. Coral reefs protect both the island’s eastern coasts from battering effects of the strong ocean currents.

There are 150 species of coral. The western coast of Zanzibar harbors small coral formation while on the eastern coast and around Pemba Island, the coral rises to towering cliffs. During September, and March visibly around Pemba has been known to extend to 150 ft. Underwater photographers will enjoy the sharks, tuna and barracuda around Pemba.