Zanzibar and Dar Es Salaam… don’t those names conjure up exotic images?
We were eagerly looking forward to visiting both of these cities because of their history and distinctly different settings and cultures compared to the interior of Tanzania, which we had visited on safari in September. There would be no Masaai warriors here, no mud huts and no wild animals.
This was a world unto itself long before Vasco Da Gama found it in the late 1400's. The Swahili
had set up numerous fishing villages along the coast and had traded with Persians, Indians and Arabs offering spices, wood and fish. Intermarriage was not uncommon and a thriving multi-racial culture had developed by the time the Portuguese arrived.
The Portuguese ruled for two hundred years, but in the late 1600's the Sultan of Oman took over and established a thriving Arab culture in Zanzibar. Unfortunately slaves were the major export with as many as 50,000 a year being sold through Zanzibar. The British finally ended the practice in the late 1800's and the area became a British Protectorate.
On the sight of the slave market the British built a church, but you can still see the vestiges of where salves were held and sold.
The slaves were kept on the raised portion in chains. There was little ventilation or light. Food and water were minimal. Hundreds were packed in these rooms. It was hot with just our group of 16 in it. We were there for minutes, the slaves for days.
Our guide demonstrated how the chains were used. Each square held a slave.
Outside the dungeons in the courtyard of the Church was a memorial dedicated to the slaves.
Oh, the spikes...to keep the elephants from breaking down the doors.
Our time in Zanzibar was coming to an end. It was very hot and humid and the air conditioning on the ship was calling to us. As we prepared to leave the port a variety of boats passed just as they probably had been doing for centuries. Single fisherman setting out for their catch, boats carrying goods and boats carrying people to known and unknown destinations. It was a brief stop in a timeless place and we left enriched by it.
We were eagerly looking forward to visiting both of these cities because of their history and distinctly different settings and cultures compared to the interior of Tanzania, which we had visited on safari in September. There would be no Masaai warriors here, no mud huts and no wild animals.
This was a world unto itself long before Vasco Da Gama found it in the late 1400's. The Swahili
had set up numerous fishing villages along the coast and had traded with Persians, Indians and Arabs offering spices, wood and fish. Intermarriage was not uncommon and a thriving multi-racial culture had developed by the time the Portuguese arrived.
The Portuguese ruled for two hundred years, but in the late 1600's the Sultan of Oman took over and established a thriving Arab culture in Zanzibar. Unfortunately slaves were the major export with as many as 50,000 a year being sold through Zanzibar. The British finally ended the practice in the late 1800's and the area became a British Protectorate.
On the sight of the slave market the British built a church, but you can still see the vestiges of where salves were held and sold.
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The slaves were kept on the raised portion in chains. There was little ventilation or light. Food and water were minimal. Hundreds were packed in these rooms. It was hot with just our group of 16 in it. We were there for minutes, the slaves for days.
Outside the dungeons in the courtyard of the Church was a memorial dedicated to the slaves.
We started our tour of Zanzibar with a quick trip to the Central Market. This one was fascinating. Dark, wet, raw, smelly, chock full of interesting things and people, but our guide was intent on leading a sprint through it and although we tried to hold back, it was tough to get pictures. We were not happy, but that's what can happen when one is not on a private tour.
We then zipped over to the far less interesting Sultan's Palace and the National Museum. The Sultan's family actual lived in it until the 1960's before leaving for London. What passed for opulence here really can't compare to other places we've seen. On the other hand, it beats a mud hut and they did have nice views from a vary expansive terrace. The National Museum was originally called the House of Wonders as it had the first electricity and elevator in Zanzibar.
We next went to Stone Town, the oldest part of Zanzibar and really the most interesting with narrow twisting streets, shops galore and the famous Zanzibar doors. We broke off from the tour when they stopped at a sponsored tourist trap in order to try to a find a specific painter whose work we saw at a lodge we stayed at inland. I hired a young man and he took us on a whirlwind trip to all of the art stores he knew, but to no avail. We did manage to get a few shots of Stone Town and the doors. By the way, do you why there are spikes on the doors?
Oh, the spikes...to keep the elephants from breaking down the doors.
Our time in Zanzibar was coming to an end. It was very hot and humid and the air conditioning on the ship was calling to us. As we prepared to leave the port a variety of boats passed just as they probably had been doing for centuries. Single fisherman setting out for their catch, boats carrying goods and boats carrying people to known and unknown destinations. It was a brief stop in a timeless place and we left enriched by it.
Next Dar Es Salaam
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