Zanzibar Stone Town
The sun begins to dissolve into the horizon, perfecting a sweep of unknown orange
against pure pale blue, and Stone Town stirs with the wakefulness of night.
Muezzins in their different mosque towers call the faithful to prayers again,
dogs bark and children shout as they play football in open corners or dive into
the harbour waters and demonstrate feats of bravery with their friends. A crowd
starts to gather along the harbour front and in Forodhani Gardens, where smoke
is beginning to rise from barbecues at the assorted food stalls and the curio
markets are assembling by gaslight amid a hubbub of banter and chat...
This old city remains a living monument to the culture and histories of its curious
mix of East African, Arab, Indian, Persian and European conquerors, traders and
seafarers, and continues to thrive as a commercial centre.
The ancient maze of narrow streets is a romantic hotchpotch of historic old stone
buildings built close for cool respite from the tropical island sun, and shaded
by elegantly carved balconies, loggias and verandas that cling precipitously
overhead - close enough to catch a whisper, or a kiss.
Now these buildings are homes and hotels, restaurants, guesthouses, offices and
shops, whose stone and wood walls remain the backdrop for tropical Arabian-style
nights, cloaked women heavily scented with spice and illicit romances eluding
the boundaries of a strict social code.
Houses of the most wealthy and influential are built from coral stone, in the
Arabic style, usually contained within a walled central courtyard accessed through
one grand door. The door, being all that could be seen from outside, was considered
the outward expression of the wealth and standing of the household within, and
often was built first.
Many remain to this day, with elaborate carvings of patterns of lotus flowers,
fish and vines or dates, and sometimes inscribed with passages from the Koran
to tell of the household within. In accordance with the customs from Persia and
Iran many of the doors are also studded with impressive polished iron studs,
sharply pointed to ward off ill-intentioned marauding elephants...despite the
blatant lack of these on the sandy shores of Zanzibar!
Tanzania and the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia make the perfect honeymoon
destination with a blend of wildlife safaris and picture postcard beaches. Spend
your honeymoon drifting in a balloon over the Serengeti, enjoy a champagne breakfast
as plains game stroll casually by, dive pristine reefs or laze in a hammock at
the beach - we can advise the best options to suit your honeymoon requirements.
If relaxation after the wedding is your main requirement then the islands of
Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia have idyllic beaches and tranquil surroundings. Drifting
on a dhow out to your own sand bank in the middle of the Indian Ocean for a private
picnic is a typical day in paradise on the islands. Alternatively relax on your
own private desert island in the Quirimbas archipelago, north Mozambique.
FACTS ON ZANZIBAR:
Zanzibar is an island partner within the United Republic of Tanzania, located
in the Indian Ocean about 38 km off the coast of mainland Tanzania at six degrees
south of the Equator. Zanzibar is made up of many islands, the main two being
Unguja (sometimes called Zanzibar) and Pemba. The highest point is 390 feet above
sea level.
HISTORY
Zanzibar has lured traders, adventurers, plunderers and explorers to its shores
for centuries. The Assyrians, Sumerians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Indians, Chinese,
Persians, Portuguese, Omani Arabs, Dutch and English have all been here at one
time or another. Some, particularly the Shirazi Persians and Omani Arabs, stayed
to settle and rule. With this influence, Zanzibar has become predominantly Islamic
(97%) - the remaining 3% is made up of Christians, Hindus and Sikhs. The earliest
visitors to Zanzibar were Arab traders who are said to have arrived in the 8th
century. The earliest building that remains on Zanzibar is the mosque at Kizimkazi,
which dates from 1107, and is a present-day tourist attraction.
For centuries the Arabs sailed with the monsoon winds from Oman to trade primarily
in ivory, slaves and spices. The two main islands, Unguja (normally known as
Zanzibar Island) and Pemba, provided an ideal base for the Omani Arabs, being
relatively small, and therefore fairly easy to defend. Indeed, in 1832, Sultan
Seyyid Said, of the Busaid dynasty that had emerged in Oman, moved his Sultanate
from Muscat to Zanzibar, perhaps making it easier to protect, where he and his
descendants ruled for over 130 years. Most of the wealth lay in the hands of
the Arab community, who were the main landowners at that time.
Widespread intermarriage between Shirazis and Africans gave rise to a coastal
community with distinctive features, and a language derived in part from Arabic,
which became known as Swahili. The name Swahili comes from the Arab word sawahil,
which means 'coast'. The Zanzibar descendants of this group were not greatly
involved in the lucrative slave, spice and ivory trades. Instead, they immersed
themselves mainly in agriculture and fishing. Those Shirazi that did not intermarry
retained their identity as a separate group. Indian traders arrived in connection
with the spice and ivory trade, and quickly settled as shopkeepers, traders,
skilled artisans and professionals. The British became involved in missionary
and trading activities in East Africa, and attempting to suppress the slave trade
centred in Zanzibar.
Goods from Britain docked here before they moved on to other parts of Africa.
No longer very prosperous in the fiscal sense, the island has a wealth of historical
monuments to visit which commemorate the African, British and particularly Arab
influences- sultan's palaces, cathedrals, mosques, fortresses and old colonial
houses. "Spice Tours" are the ideal way to see the island's historic sites and
spice plantations. There is also a sanctuary for the rare Zanzibar duiker and
the red colobus monkey in the protected Jozani Forest, just twenty-five kilometers
from the town.
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