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105-515: Stone Town is a city of prominent historical and artistic importance in East Africa . Its architecture, mostly dating back to the 19th century, reflects the diverse influences underlying the Swahili culture , giving a unique mixture of Arab, Persian , Indian and European elements. For this reason, the town was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. Due to its heritage, Stone Town

210-587: A railway from the Town to Bububu village. The British did not fund major developments in the town and allowed the sultan to manage the islands affairs from Stone Town. The British gave privileges to Mombasa and Dar es Salaam as their trading stations in East Africa. In 1964, Stone Town was the theatre of the Zanzibar Revolution , which brought about the removal of the sultan and the birth of

315-547: A socialist government led by the Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP). More than 20,000 people were killed and refugees, especially Arabs and Indians, escaped the island as a consequence of the revolution. The Arabs and Indians left behind everything they had and the ASP quickly occupied old homes and converted them into public buildings. In 1964, when Tanganyika and Zanzibar combined to form Tanzania , Stone Town kept its role as

420-536: A capital and government seat for Zanzibar, which was declared a semi-autonomous part of the new nation. Stone Town is located roughly in the middle of the west coast of Unguja , on a small promontory protruding into the Zanzibar Channel . The closest major settlement on the Tanzanian coast, opposite Stone Town, is Bagamoyo (to the south-west). Stone Town is part of Zanzibar City , which also includes

525-648: A creation of new societal groups involving inter-marriage among communities and small groups moving to communities and small groups moving to new areas. After their movements from their original homeland in West Africa , Bantus also encountered in central east Africa peoples of Cushitic origin. As cattle terminology in use amongst the few modern Bantu pastoralist groups suggests, the Bantu migrants would acquire cattle from their new Cushitic neighbors. Linguistic evidence also indicates that Bantus most likely borrowed

630-854: A few stand out as yielding significant finds. Unit B in Layer 3 (30–50 cm deep), brown fabrics along with blue-green glazed ware, and a fragment of olive-green glazed Chinese stoneware. Layer 4 (5–66 cm deep), notable items are Changsha stoneware, poly-chrome ware from the Islamic period and what appears to be six copper coins. There were also more copper coins found in Layer 6. Layer 8 produced Changsha painted stoneware from 700-800 A.D. Layer 11 (135–165 cm deep) had provided rare thin walled pink earthenware. In Layer 14 & 15 (185–270 cm deep) had early pieces of glass. Units C-E discoveries were mostly sherds and charcoal, but at 21 cm deep in Unit C

735-626: A first or second language, is an important trade language in the Great Lakes area. It has official status in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Unguja Ukuu Unguja Ukuu ( Mji wa Kale wa Unguja Ukuu in Swahili ) is a historic Swahili settlement on Unguja island (Zanzibar Island), in Zanzibar , Tanzania . Unguja Ukuu is an archaeological site on the island of Zanzibar. This site has yielded abundant artifacts and evidence that play out

840-639: A great deal of excavation and recovery was done at a scale much larger than preceding visits. Due to the different regions in this site regarding typography the site was divided up in to numerous areas assigned by letters covering 410m² and examining 11,500m² of sifted deposits. Area A is 2 x 1 x 1.7m large and nine layers were identified. Layer 2 at 9–30 cm deep Sgraffiato pottery with incisions and blue white porcelain bowl fragments were found. Layer 4 at 40–70 cm deep, revealed imported pink pottery sherds of Sgraffiato and green monochrome, these dated to 1430-1650 A.D. Layer 5 at 70–86 cm deep other pottery

945-825: A juvenile’s skeleton, at 50–60 cm deep. These are only some of the Unit sites that were excavated. This excavation was so large that is would be difficult to place all findings with in this forum. Many of the Units provided pottery sherds, charcoal, middens, and animal remains, and added to the previous work done, Unguja Ukuu is a rich and diverse participant in the domestic and international trade networks in their time. Finds & Artifacts • Sassanian Islamic pottery & Chinese stone wares, stone building • Glazed pottery • Basal shell middens from two areas • Gold coins from Iran approx. 900 yo 1866 discovered • Glassware, beads, alabaster, early iron working pottery & various metals • Early Iron Age sherds • African red slip ware of

1050-452: A larger area of Africa than previously thought. East Africa is one of the earliest regions where Homo sapiens are believed to have lived. Evidence was found in 2018, dating to about 320,000 years ago, at the Kenyan site of Olorgesailie , of the early emergence of modern behaviors associated with Homo sapiens , including: long-distance trade networks (involving goods such as obsidian),

1155-535: A long history of trade along the east coast of Africa and the Indian Ocean. Unguja Ukuu was the oldest of the earliest Swahili trading posts along the coast. Unguja Ukuu has the oldest artifacts of all of the islands in this region dating back to the sixth century. It is also a site where early Islamic influence came ashore as evident by the ruins of a mosque. There is evidence of early urbanism and international trade taking place. As its name implies, Unguja Ukuu

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1260-528: A millennia-long series of migrations eastward from their homeland around southern Cameroon. This Bantu expansion introduced agriculture into much of the African Great Lakes region. During the following fifteen centuries, the Bantu slowly intensified farming and grazing over all suitable regions of East Africa, in the process making contact with Austronesian - and Arabic -speaking settlers on southern coastal areas. The latter also spread Islam to

1365-430: A number of distinctive features, as a result of Arab, Persian, Indian, European, and African traditions mixing together. The name "Stone Town" comes from the ubiquitous use of coral stone as the main construction material; this stone gives the town a characteristic, reddish warm colour. Traditional buildings have a baraza , a long stone bench along the outside walls; this is used as an elevated sidewalk if heavy rains make

1470-511: A portion of a grindstone was unearthed. Units F-I discoveries. Unit J at 35–44 cm deep have way to a fragment of a Longquan green celadon bowl from the Mind dynasty dating to the 14th -16th century. Layer 6 at 55–64 cm deep provided 4 small silver coins. Layer 12 at 91–131 cm deep revealed “Susa ware” fabric from the 7th century. Layer 14 at 131–141 cm deep showed evidence of late Roman period, late 5th century. Unit K at Layer 8 had

1575-529: A target for European exploration , exploitation and colonialization in the nineteenth century. Today, tourism is an important part of the economies of Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles, and Uganda. The easternmost point of the continent, that is Ras Hafun in Somalia, is of archaeological , historical and economical importance. According to the CIA, as of 2017, the countries in the eastern Africa region have

1680-448: A total population of around 537.9 million inhabitants. Eastern Africa had an estimated population of 260 million in 2000. This was projected to reach 890 million by 2050, with an average growth rate of 2.5% per annum. The 2000 population is expected to quintuple over the course of the 21st century, to 1.6 billion as of 2100 (UN estimates as of 2017). In Ethiopia , there is an estimated population of 102 million as of 2016. In

1785-404: A unified group of communities that developed into the first center of coastal maritime culture. The coastal towns, including those on Zanzibar, appear to have been engaged in Indian Ocean trade at this early period. Trade rapidly increased in importance and quantity beginning in the mid-8th century and by the close of the 10th century Zanzibar was one of the central Swahili trading towns. Shangani,

1890-517: Is a Bantu phrase for “central place” recognizing its importance in trade. This site also is able to provide insight to the early contact between the Swahili and the Indian Ocean world. Unguja Ukuu is an archeological site on the island of Zanzibar. Zanzibar is located south of the equator, central along the east coast of the African continent. It is positioned 25 miles from land and separated from

1995-635: Is accessible from within the town. However, on slightly wider roads historically bicycles and now most recently motor cycles are used to transport people and goods. The town is accessible from Zanzibar and the rest of the region through three possible ports of entry. The main form of public transport in Zanzibar are the daladala share taxis ; and the main station is located by the Darajani Market. Daladalas connect Stone Town to several island locations, such as Bububu (a village north of Stone Town),

2100-533: Is acknowledged as the cradle of early modern humans , who first emerged around 200,000 to 300,000 years ago before spreading globally though Madagascar was only settled 3000 years ago. In a narrow sense, particularly in English-speaking contexts, East Africa refers to the area comprising Kenya , Tanzania , and Uganda , largely due to their shared history under the Omani Empire and as parts of

2205-446: Is also a major visitor attraction in Tanzania, and a large part of its economy depends on tourism -related activities. The heart of Stone Town mostly consists of a maze of narrow alleys lined by houses, shops, bazaars and mosques . Since most streets are too narrow for cars, the town is crowded with bicycles and motorbikes . The seafront has wider streets and larger, more regularly placed buildings. Stone Town's architecture has

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2310-560: Is now southern Tanzania . In March 1505, having received from Manuel I of Portugal the appointment of viceroy of the newly conquered territory in India , he set sail from Lisbon in command of a large and powerful fleet, and arrived in July at Quiloa ( Kilwa ), which yielded to him almost without a struggle. A much more vigorous resistance was offered by the Moors of Mombasa. However, the town

2415-665: Is the peak tourist season due to beach tourism on the island. East Africa East Africa , also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa , is a region at the eastern edge of the African continent , distinguished by its geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the region is recognized in the United Nations Statistics Division scheme as encompassing 18 sovereign states and 4 territories. East Africa

2520-483: The Abyei Area , and Abyei and South Kordofan's Nuba Hills both remained sources of tension between Juba and Khartoum as of 2011 . Some parts of East Africa have been renowned for their concentrations of wild animals, such as the " big five ": the elephant , buffalo , lion , black rhinoceros , and leopard , though populations have been declining under increased stress in recent times, particularly those of

2625-470: The African Great Lakes region overlaps significantly with these countries. Inside of Somalia there are two unrecognised states; Somaliland and Puntland, although Puntland still wants to join back with Somalia, for now it is independent. Adjacent to these mainland territories are island nations and territories such as Socotra , Comoros , Mauritius , Seychelles , Réunion , Mayotte , and

2730-646: The Anglo-Zanzibar War , which is remembered as the shortest war in history: the Sultan surrendered after 45 minutes of naval bombardment of Stone Town by the Royal Navy . During the period of British protection, the Sultan still retained some power and Stone Town remained a relatively important trading centre for the informal trade. Though the town previously had a small railway the British constructed

2835-722: The British East Africa Protectorate and German East Africa . Further extending East Africa's definition, the Horn of Africa —comprising Djibouti , Eritrea , Ethiopia , and Somalia —stands out as a distinct geopolitical entity within East Africa. The East African Community , an economic and political bloc, currently includes the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Somalia, Burundi , Kenya, Rwanda , South Sudan , Uganda and Tanzania. Notably,

2940-587: The Horn of Africa and Nile Valley , Afroasiatic languages predominate, including languages of the family's Cushitic (such as Beja , Oromo and Somali ), Semitic (such as Amharic , Arabic and Tigrinya ), and Omotic (such as Wolaytta ) branches. In the African Great Lakes region, Niger-Congo languages of the Bantu branch are most widely spoken. Among these languages are Kikuyu , Luhya , Kinyarwanda , Kirundi , Kisukuma , Luganda and many others. Swahili , with at least 80 million speakers as

3045-463: The Kingdom of Madagascar , which it initiated after persuading Britain to relinquish its interests in the island in exchange for control of Zanzibar off the coast of Tanganyika , an important island hub of the spices trade. The British also held a number of island colonies in the region, including the extended archipelago of Seychelles and the rich farming island of Mauritius , previously under

3150-714: The Orthodox Empire of Ethiopia . By 1896, the war had become a total disaster for the Italians and Ethiopia was able to retain its independence. Ethiopia remained independent until 1936 when, after the Second Italo-Abyssinian War , it became part of Italian East Africa . The Italian occupation of Ethiopia ended in 1941 during World War II as part of the East African Campaign . The French also staked out an East African outpost on

3255-467: The Ottoman Turks , Portugal hoped to use the sea route pioneered by da Gama to break the once Venetian trading monopoly. Portuguese rule in the African Great Lakes region focused mainly on a coastal strip centered around Mombasa. The Portuguese presence in the area officially began after 1505, when flagships under the command of Don Francisco de Almeida conquered Kilwa , an island located in what

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3360-599: The Puntland and Somaliland regions of Somalia, have seen relative stability. South Sudan peacefully seceded from Sudan in 2011, six and a half years after a peace agreement ended the Second Sudanese Civil War . South Sudanese independence was nearly derailed by the South Kordofan conflict , particularly, South Sudanese independence was nearly derailed by a dispute over the status of

3465-576: The Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean . Regions including portions of Mozambique and Madagascar , often aligned with Southern Africa , share significant historical and cultural connections with East Africa, particularly through the Indian Ocean's maritime networks. Sudan is also sometimes included due in part because it is a member of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) free trade area. According to

3570-558: The Sultan's Palace were also built. In 1861, as a consequence of a war of succession within the Omani royal family, Zanzibar and Oman were separated, with Zanzibar becoming an independent sultanate under Sultan Majid bin Said . In the 19th century Stone Town flourished as a trading centre. It was especially renowned for the commerce of spices (mostly cloves ) and slaves . Around middle of

3675-526: The United Republic of Tanzania by creating a union between the mainland, and the island chain of Zanzibar. Zanzibar is now a semi-autonomous state in a union with the mainland which is collectively and commonly referred to as Tanzania . German East Africa, though very extensive, was not of such strategic importance as the British Crown's colonies to the north: the inhabitation of these lands

3780-485: The attempted coup d'état in 1982 and the 2007 election riots . Tanzania has known stable government since independence although there are significant political and religious tensions resulting from the political union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar in 1964. Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous state in the United Republic of Tanzania . Tanzania and Uganda fought the Uganda–Tanzania War in 1978–1979, which led to

3885-408: The slave trade and relocation of the Omani capital to Zanzibar in 1839 by Seyyid Said had the effect of consolidating the Omani power in the region. Arab governance of all the major ports along the Swahili coast continued until British interests aimed particularly at ending the slave trade and creation of a wage-labour system began to put pressure on Omani rule. By the late nineteenth century,

3990-516: The tsetse fly , however, prevented the donkey and agriculture from spreading southwards. Only in quite recent times has agriculture spread to the more humid regions south of the equator, through the spread of cattle , sheep and crops such as millet . Language distributions suggest that this most likely occurred from Sudan into the African Great Lakes region, since the Nilotic languages spoken by these pre-Bantu farmers have their closest relatives in

4095-635: The "Out of Africa" theory probably occurred in East Africa through the Bab-el-Mandeb . Today at the Bab-el-Mandeb straits, the Red Sea is about 12 miles (19 kilometres) wide, but 50,000 years ago it was much narrower and sea levels were 70 meters lower. Though the straits were never completely closed, there may have been islands in between which could be reached using simple rafts. Some of the earliest hominin skeletal remains have been found in

4200-627: The 'New City' of Ng'ambo ("the Other Side"), which mostly extends in the interior of Unguja to the south-east. The dividing line between Stone Town and Ng'ambo is Creek Road, later renamed to Benjamin Mkapa Road, marking the west side of the now reclaimed creek that separated them. The streets in Stone Town are very narrow and almost getting anywhere within the town must be done on foot. The narrow streets provide shade and almost everything

4305-584: The 1880s. Between the 19th and 20th century, East Africa became a theatre of competition between the major imperialistic European nations of the time. The three main colors of the African country were beige, red, and blue. The red stood for the English, blue stood for the French, and the beige stood for Germany during the period of colonialism. During the period of the Scramble for Africa , almost every country in

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4410-536: The 1975 independence of Mozambique. Omani Arab colonization of the Kenyan and Tanzanian coasts brought the once independent city-states under closer foreign scrutiny and domination than was experienced during the Portuguese period. Like their predecessors, the Omani Arabs were primarily able only to control the coastal areas, not the interior. However, the creation of clove plantations , intensification of

4515-535: The 1st and 3rd centuries, the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea , mentioned the island of Menuthias ( Ancient Greek : Μενουθιάς ), which is probably Unguja . Zanzibar, like the nearby coast, was settled by Bantu-speakers at the outset of the first millennium. Archaeological finds at Fukuchani, on the north-west coast of Zanzibar, indicate a settled agricultural and fishing community from the 6th century CE at

4620-590: The 9th century. Unguja Ukuu takes it place along with Koma, Kwale, and Mafia as having a presence of Early Iron Working pottery. This predates Traditional Tana Ware. In addition, this site provided artifacts that date back to 500 to 700 A.D., including items imported from India, the Middle East, and the Roman state. In 1920 Pearce wrote of his observations and noted a mosque ruin at Unguja Ukuu. In addition to what he found he also conducted informant interviews and

4725-466: The African continent by the Zanzibar channel (30–40 m deep). Zanzibar is the largest island of the Zanzibar archipelago. The site of Unguja Ukuu covers 16 hectares and is located between a village and a creek. It lies on the southwestern side of the island. The coordinates for this site are: -6.3172° N, 39.3744° E. Unguja Ukuu is one of two sites that had evidence of early coastal pottery, Sassanian-Islamic pottery, and ceramic bead grinders recovered from

4830-614: The British colony of Aden on the Arabian Peninsula . With these territories secured, Britain was able to serve as gatekeeper of the sea lane leading to British India . In 1890, beginning with the purchase of the small port town of Asseb from a local sultan in Eritrea , the Italians colonized all of Eritrea. In 1895, from bases in Somalia and Eritrea, the Italians launched the First Italo–Ethiopian War against

4935-511: The French sovereignty . The German Empire gained control of a large area named German East Africa , comprising present-day Rwanda , Burundi and the mainland part of Tanzania named Tanganyika. In 1922, the British gained a League of Nations mandate over Tanganyika which it administered until Independence was granted to Tanganyika in 1961. Following the Zanzibar Revolution of 1965, the independent state of Tanganyika formed

5040-684: The Great Lakes region during the 17th century. The Omani Arabs posed the most direct challenge to Portuguese influence in the African Great Lakes region. By this time, the Portuguese Empire had already lost its interest on the spice trade sea route due to the decreasing profitability of that business. The Arabs reclaimed much of the Indian Ocean trade , forcing the Portuguese to retreat south where they remained in Portuguese East Africa (Mozambique) as sole rulers until

5145-512: The Lamu Archipelago, provide the clearest picture of architectural development. Houses were originally built with timber (c. 1050) and later in mud with coral walls (c. 1150). The houses were continually rebuilt with more permanent materials. By the 13th century, houses were built with stone, and bonded with mud, and the 14th century saw the use of lime to bond stone. Only the wealthier patricians would have had stone and lime built houses,

5250-574: The Omani Arab style are rectangular. Carvings are often Islamic in content (for example, many consist of verses of the Qur'an ), but other symbolism is occasionally used, e.g., Indian lotus flowers as emblems of prosperity. Stone Town is punctuated with major historical buildings, several of which are found on the seafront; these include former palaces of the sultans, fortifications, churches, mosques, and other institutional buildings. While Stone Town

5355-456: The Portuguese built forts, and adopted measures to secure the Portuguese supremacy. Portugal's main goal on the Swahili coast was to take control of the spice trade from the Arabs . At this stage, the Portuguese presence in East Africa served the purposes of controlling trade within the Indian Ocean and securing the sea routes linking Europe to Asia. Portuguese naval vessels were very disruptive to

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5460-562: The Portuguese were ousted by Zanzibaris and Pembans in the 17th century, local patricians invited the Sultan of Oman to wield political power in exchange for defense against Portuguese reprisals. Part of the Portuguese church was built into the Omani fort, which housed roughly fifty soldiers. The Sultan also appointed a local governor, but political authority was still largely vested in the Mwinyi Mkuu, at this time Queen Fatima . Excavations at nearby Pemba Island, but especially at Shanga in

5565-702: The Roman Empire The gold Cufic coins from the Abbasite dynasty found are of great importance since this is the earliest solidly dated object from this area of the coast. Some pottery, stone vessels, and glass material and beads of antiquity recovered at Unguja Ukuu are identified as coming from India, the Persian Gulf area and the Mediterranean region, and even north-western Europe. Trade networks were an important part of urban development in

5670-517: The airport, the Amaan Stadium , Jangombe, and Magomeni, Zanzibar . For longer trips, "mabasi" (Swahili for "bus", singular "basi") are available, which are trucks adapted for passenger transport. The main "mabasi" station is also close to the Market and the "mabasi" network stretch across the entire island and is the cheapest form of long-distance transit. The main Zanzibar island harbour is in

5775-436: The architecture here. In 1966 Neville Chittick made his second visit (1965) to Unguja Ukuu. He recounts that he was able to collect artifacts from the surface, no digging was required. Most of what was recovered were pottery sherds. Among the sherds one stood out which was Chinese stoneware with a green glaze and ornamentation. Much of what he found was Sassanian-Islamic pottery most coming from Iran (Nishapur and Ctesiphon) form

5880-480: The century, the sultanate had a close relationship with the British; David Livingstone , for example, is known to have stayed in Stone Town in 1866 while he was preparing his final expedition into the interior of East Africa. In the same period, several immigrant communities from Oman , Persia and India formed as a consequence of the town's intense commercial activity. The Sultan of Zanzibar encouraged immigration of foreign traders who became very wealthy and settled in

5985-735: The city who brought diversity to the city's architecture. In the last decades of the century, the Sultans of Zanzibar gradually lost their possessions in mainland East Africa to the German Empire and the United Kingdom. In 1890, with the Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty , Zanzibar itself became a British protectorate . In 1896, a sudden rebellion of the Zanzibari Omanis against the British rule led to

6090-403: The coastal belt, but most Bantu remained African Traditional Religion adherents. Over a period of many centuries, most hunting-foraging peoples were displaced and absorbed by incoming Bantu communities, as well as by later Nilotic communities. The Bantu expansion was a long series of physical migrations, a diffusion of language and knowledge out into and in from neighboring populations, and

6195-402: The commerce of Portugal's enemies within the western Indian Ocean and were able to demand high tariffs on items transported through the sea due to their strategic control of ports and shipping lanes. The construction of Fort Jesus in Mombasa in 1593 was meant to solidify Portuguese hegemony in the region, but their influence was clipped by the British , Dutch and Omani Arab incursions into

6300-415: The cultivation of cash crops like coffee and tea , as well as for animal husbandry with products produced from cattle and goats, such as goat meat , beef and milk . Moreover, this area had the potential for a significant residential expansion, being suitable for the relocation of a large number of British nationals to the region. Prevailing climatic conditions and the regions' geomorphology allowed

6405-465: The custom of milking cattle directly from Cushitic peoples in the area. On the coastal section of the African Great Lakes region, another mixed Bantu community developed through contact with Muslim Arab and Persian traders, leading to the development of the mixed Arab, Persian and African Swahili City States . The Swahili culture that emerged from these exchanges evinces many Arab and Islamic influences not seen in traditional Bantu culture, as do

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6510-444: The description of contemporary humans with the subspecies name Homo sapiens sapiens . Because of their early dating and unique physical characteristics idaltu and kibish represent the immediate ancestors of anatomically modern humans as suggested by the Out-of-Africa theory. In 2017 finds of modern human remains, dating to ca 300,000 years ago in Jebel Irhoud in Morocco, suggested that modern humans arose earlier and possibly in

6615-602: The eighth and ninth century. In 1984 Mark Horton and Kate Clark surveyed the site, 15 hectares across. Over two meters of middens were discovered providing evidence of animal bones, iron slag, daub, glass, and bead-grinders along with domestic and imported pottery. While imported pottery only constituted under five percent of the sherds recovered, they did include Sasanian-Islamic & unglazed wares, Chinese Chansha stoneware, Zhejiang Zueh Yao greenwares and Dusun jars from Guangdong. In addition to these, they also recovered one piece of Islamic white-glazed ware. They estimated that

6720-440: The emergence of Homo sapiens . In September 2019, scientists reported the computerized determination, based on 260 CT scans , of a virtual skull shape of the last common human ancestor to modern humans / H. sapiens , representative of the earliest Homo sapiens , and suggested that Homo sapiens arose between 350,000 and 260,000 years ago through a merging of populations in South and East Africa. The migration route of

6825-526: The end of the 17th century the Sultanate of Oman took over the island and completed the fort to prevent future attacks. The first stone houses in Stone Town probably began to be built in the early 1800s, gradually replacing an earlier fishing village around the Old Fort . At the time the Sultanate of Oman controlled the Zanzibar Archipelago , Mombasa and the Swahili coast . In 1824, Sultan Said bin Sultan moved his seat from Muscat , Oman, to Stone Town, which thus entered an era of quick development as

6930-479: The entire Zanzibar Archipelago experiences a similar climate throughout the year. The island has a hot tropical weather all year round with the hottest months being February and March and the cooler months being July and August. During most months of the year there is significant rainfall with a long rain season spanning from March–May and a shorter rain season from November–December. The lesser dry season occurs between December–February and May–August and consequently

7035-451: The establishment of flourishing European style settlements like Nairobi , Vila Pery , Vila Junqueiro , Porto Amélia , Lourenço Marques and Entebbe . The French settled the largest island of the Indian Ocean (and the fourth-largest globally), Madagascar , along with a group of smaller islands nearby, namely Réunion and the Comoros . Madagascar became part of the French colonial empire following two military campaigns against

7140-430: The heart of Stone Town and regular ferries from Dar es Salaam and Pemba connect the town to the mainland. The town is also in close proximity to the Island's major airport. Zanzibar Airport , 9 kilometres (5.6 miles) south of Stone Town has flights to mainland Tanzania (especially Arusha and Dar es Salaam ) as well as other African main airports such as Nairobi , Mombasa , and Johannesburg . Stone Town along with

7245-431: The history of Unguja Ukuu is Mohammed wa Joka , an ancient land owner that is remembered in several stories and legends belonging to the local oral tradition . According to these legends, he was able to foresee the future and could cast a spell to make Unguja Ukuu invisible. By his magic, he could also identify whoever stole coconuts from his trees. The artifacts recovered show evidence that this place had experienced

7350-510: The island’s landscape comprises coral limestone but there are some areas that have very deep soft soil which is where most of the settlement artifacts were unearthed. The site is surrounded by eclectic landscape features such as ridges, a creek, the peninsula point, and flat areas. As time and technology roll on more aggressive recovery methods were used like coring, but core drilling is in some cases considered questionable due to irregularities in topography to suggest general chrono-stratigraphy of

7455-400: The larger region to varying degrees became part of a European colonial empire. Portugal had first established a strong presence in southern Mozambique and the Indian Ocean since the 15th century, while during this period their possessions increasingly grew including parts from the present northern Mozambique country, up to Mombasa in present-day Kenya. At Lake Malawi , they finally met

7560-402: The late Roman Empire. Jeffrey Fleisher & Stephanie Wynne-Jones (2011) complied radiocarbon data on sherds found at Unguja Ukuu and other surrounding islands (8). Based on their findings the ceramic wares date back to the beginning of the 6th century (8). This new dating has pushed original dates back and give Unguja Ukuu a deeper and longer history than previously considered. This area of

7665-496: The latest. The considerable amount of daub found indicates timber buildings, and shell beads, bead grinders, and iron slag have been found at the site. There is evidence for limited engagement in long-distance trade: a small amount of imported pottery has been found, less than 1% of total pottery finds, mostly from the Gulf and dated to the 5th to 8th century. The similarity to contemporary sites such as Mkokotoni and Dar es Salaam indicate

7770-584: The long history of Unguja Ukuu. Artifacts found at Unguja Ukuu came from all over the world: pottery from the Far East, Near East, India, and the Southern Mediterranean region. Other items such as rings, glass, coins, iron artifacts and ivory have also been found along with a variety of animal remains. Visitors to Unguja Ukuu, centrally located off the east coast of Africa and at the edge of the Indian Ocean, left behind evidence that this place

7875-593: The many Afro-Arab members of the Bantu Swahili people . With its original speech community centered on the coastal parts of Tanzania (particularly Zanzibar ) and Kenya —a seaboard referred to as the Swahili Coast —the Bantu Swahili language contains many Arabic loan-words as a consequence of these interactions. Its important to note that Kiswahili grammar and structure are purely African and Bantu even if its vocabulary has non African influence in

7980-559: The middle Nile basin. Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Red Sea coast of Sudan are considered the most likely location of the land known to the Ancient Egyptians as Punt . The old kingdom's first mention dates to the 25th century BCE. The ancient Puntites were a nation of people that had close relations with Pharaonic Egypt during the times of Pharaoh Sahure and Queen Hatshepsut . The Kingdom of Aksum

8085-557: The name for Tanzania . These early writings perhaps document the first wave of Bantu settlers to reach central east Africa during their migration. Between the 14th and 15th centuries, large African Great Lakes kingdoms and states emerged, such as the Buganda and Karagwe kingdoms of Uganda and Tanzania. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to explore the region of current-day Kenya , Tanzania , and Mozambique by sea. Vasco da Gama visited Mombasa in 1498. Da Gama's voyage

8190-640: The new capital of the Sultanate of Oman and Zanzibar. With the British outlawing the slave trade in the Indian Ocean , the Sultanate's fortunes crashed. The Muscat economy was in shambles and many Omanis migrated to Zanzibar. The increase in the Arab population on the island facilitated further growth and more buildings began to spring up in the town. Furthermore, grand royal structures like the House of Wonders and

8295-459: The original fishing town that developed into Stone Town, was a small, largely unimportant Swahili site founded in the 11th century. Bigger towns at Unguja Ukuu , Kizimkazi , and Tumbatu were the island's powers from the 8th to the 16th century. The Portuguese built a church at Shangani in the early 16th century, and the Queen of northern Unguja had a house built there in the mid-17th century. When

8400-490: The recently created British Protectorate of Nyasaland (nowadays Malawi ), which surrounded the homonymous lake on three sides, leaving the Portuguese the control of lake's eastern coast. The British Empire set foot in the region's most exploitable and promising lands acquiring what is today Uganda , and Kenya . The Protectorate of Uganda and the Colony of Kenya were located in a rich farmland area mostly appropriate for

8505-400: The removal of Uganda's despotic leader Idi Amin . Burundi , Rwanda , and Uganda have each faced instability and ethnic conflict since independence, most notably, they experienced the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the 1993 Burundi genocide and the subsequent Burundian Civil War . Rwanda and Uganda continue to be involved in related conflicts outside the region. Djibouti , as well as

8610-598: The rhino and elephant. The geography of East Africa is often stunning and scenic. Shaped by global plate tectonic forces that have created the East African Rift , East Africa is the site of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya , the two tallest peaks in Africa. It also includes the world's second largest freshwater lake, Lake Victoria , and the world's second deepest lake, Lake Tanganyika . The unique geography and apparent suitability for farming made East Africa

8715-446: The route to French Indochina . Starting in the 1850s, the small protectorate of Djibouti became French Somaliland in 1897. Since the end of colonialism, several East African countries have been riven with military coups, ethnic violence and oppressive dictators. The region has endured the following post-colonial conflicts: Kenya has enjoyed relatively stable governance. However, its politics have been turbulent at times, including

8820-474: The same way English remains a Germanic language regardless of its vocabulary being heavily influenced by Latin and French among other languages. The earliest Bantu inhabitants of the east coast of Kenya and Tanzania encountered by these later Arab and Persian settlers have been variously identified with the trading settlements of Rhapta , Azania and Menouthias referenced in early Greek and Chinese writings from 50 CE to 500 CE, ultimately giving rise to

8925-516: The seafront) have been done in recent times by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC).   Sultanate of Kilwa before 1503 [REDACTED] Portuguese Empire 1503–1698 [REDACTED] Sultanate of Oman 1698–1856 [REDACTED] Sultanate of Zanzibar 1856–1890 [REDACTED] British Empire 1890–1963 [REDACTED] Republic of Zanzibar 1964 [REDACTED]   Tanzania 1964–present A Greco-Roman text between

9030-458: The settlement was occupied from the 8th-10th century through the 16th century. Juma and Syse recovered Islamic pottery, Chinese stoneware, two shell middens, and a possible stone fort on the east of the site. In 1991 Chami was able to excavate deep enough to reach a level that revealed the presence of Early Iron Age sherds at this site. Dating is consistent with the 5th or 6th century. Items included pottery from Egypt and African Red Slip ware from

9135-468: The site on soil coloration. A large excavation project was initiated and yielded a great many artifacts and structural details that gave a clearer picture of the social mapping of Unguja Ukuu. SAREC is a regionally sponsored program that goes by the name Eastern Africa: “Urban Origins in Eastern Africa”. This program pursued archaeology on Zanzibar during four seasons, 1989-1993. During this time

9240-504: The slave trade on the open seas had been completely outlawed by the British and the Omani Arabs had little ability to resist the British navy's ability to enforce the directive. The Omani presence continued in Zanzibar and Pemba until the Zanzibar Revolution in 1964. However, the official Omani Arab presence in Kenya was checked by German and British seizure of key ports and creation of crucial trade alliances with influential local leaders in

9345-454: The streets impracticable, or otherwise as benches to sit down, rest, socialize. Another key feature of most buildings is large verandas protected by carved wooden balustrades . The best-known feature of Zanzibari houses are the finely decorated wooden doors, with rich carvings and bas-reliefs , sometimes with big brass studs of Indian tradition. Two main types of doors can be distinguished: those of Indian style have rounded tops, while those in

9450-440: The strength of the materials allowing for flat roofs, while the majority of the population lived in single-story thatched houses similar to those from the 11th and 12th centuries. According to Tom Middleton and Mark Horton, the architectural style of these stone houses have no Arab or Persian elements, and should be viewed as an entirely indigenous development of local vernacular architecture. While much of Zanzibar Town's architecture

9555-488: The theory of the recent African origin of modern humans , the predominantly held belief among most archaeologists, East Africa in the area of the African Great Lakes is where anatomically modern humans first appeared. There are differing theories on whether there was a single exodus or several; a multiple dispersal model involves the Southern Dispersal theory. Some researchers have suggested that North Africa

9660-535: The time ruled by Zoskales , who also governed the port of Adulis . The Aksumite rulers facilitated trade by minting their own Aksumite currency . The state also established its hegemony over the declining Kingdom of Kush and regularly entered the politics of the kingdoms on the Arabian Peninsula , eventually extending its rule over the region with the conquest of the Himyarite Kingdom . Between 2500 and 3000 years ago, Bantu -speaking peoples began

9765-403: The use of pigments, and the possible making of projectile points. It is observed by the authors of three 2018 studies on the site, that the evidence of these behaviors is approximately contemporary to the earliest known Homo sapiens fossil remains from Africa (such as at Jebel Irhoud and Florisbad ), and they suggest that complex and modern behaviors had already begun in Africa around the time of

9870-622: The wider region, including fossils discovered in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia, as well as in the Koobi Fora in Kenya and Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. The southern part of East Africa was occupied until recent times by Khoisan hunter-gatherers , whereas in the Ethiopian Highlands the donkey and such crop plants as teff allowed the beginning of agriculture around 7,000 BCE. Lowland barriers and diseases carried by

9975-440: Was a central trading port. Unlike the mainland this site was influenced by foreign merchants from around the world, and each left a mark on this site. Due to the trade activity here early urbanism is evident in one of the first east African trading posts. Unguja Ukuu’s location was key to pursue an unconventional settlement strategy by which its inhabitants survived mostly on foods and goods that came from elsewhere since agriculture

10080-400: Was a trading empire centered Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. It existed from approximately 100–940 CE, growing from the proto-Aksumite Iron Age period c.  4th century BCE to achieve prominence by the 1st century CE. The kingdom is mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as an important market place for ivory , which was exported throughout the ancient world. Aksum was at

10185-411: Was difficult and thus limited, mainly due to climatic conditions and the local geomorphology. Italy gained control of various parts of Somalia in the 1880s. The southern three-fourths of Somalia became an Italian protectorate ( Italian Somaliland ). Meanwhile, in 1884, a narrow coastal strip of Somaliland came under British control ( British Somaliland ). This Somaliland protectorate was just opposite

10290-478: Was found but white stoneware from the Tang dynasty was found, dated to 618-908 A.D. Layer 6 at 86–100 cm deep produced many blue-green pottery sherds and charcoal samples tested to be from 600-770 A.D. The next layers show evidence of pottery and it is not until Layer 9 (1.42-1.17 cm) that they discovered a grave with two individuals, with suggested dates of 1440-1600 A.D. Most of these area sites are similar and

10395-461: Was included in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in 2000, this designation does not provide complete protection for the town's heritage. Despite the establishment of a Conservation Authority, about 80% of the 1,709 buildings of Stone Town are in a deteriorating condition. As coral stone is very friable, frequent maintenance is needed for most of these buildings. Some major restoration projects (especially on

10500-445: Was not a main source of subsistence. As excavations continue a more diverse collection of artifacts emerge adding to the complex history of this place. Some members of the community claim Shirazi origins, though these stories should not be taken literally. They are representative of complex identity politics, particularly in the 19th century when Shirazi identity was used to combat notions of Arab superiority. A notable person in

10605-477: Was rebuilt during Omani rule, nearby sites elucidate the general development of Swahili, and Zanzibari, architecture before the 15th century. Stone Town is located along a natural harbour and the first Europeans to set foot on the island of Zanzibar were the Portuguese. The Portuguese ruled the island for over two centuries and began constructing Stone Town's first stone structure, the Old Fort . However, towards

10710-544: Was successful in reaching India , which permitted the Portuguese to trade with the Far East directly by sea. This in turn challenged the older trading networks of mixed land and sea routes, such as the spice trade routes which utilized the Persian Gulf , Red Sea , and camel caravans to reach the eastern Mediterranean. The Republic of Venice had gained control over much of the trade routes between Europe and Asia. After traditional land routes to India had been closed by

10815-472: Was taken and destroyed, and its large treasures went to strengthen the resources of Almeida. Attacks followed on Hoja (now known as Ungwana, located at the mouth of the Tana River ), Barawa , Angoche , Pate and other coastal towns until the western Indian Ocean was a safe haven for Portuguese commercial interests. At other places on his way, such as the island of Angediva , near Goa , and Cannanore ,

10920-461: Was the region of Africa from which modern humans who first trekked out of the continent. According to both genetic and fossil evidence, it has been posited that archaic Homo sapiens evolved into anatomically modern humans in the Horn of Africa around 200,000 years ago and dispersed from there. The recognition of Homo sapiens idaltu and Omo Kibish as anatomically modern humans would justify

11025-464: Was told of 500 pieces of gold that had been discovered and taken many years earlier by Arabs. These coins had a Cufic inscription and dated to 798-9 AD minted in Baghdad. This was the first definable date that was attached to any artifact in this area. A stone well is one of the handful of monuments along the eastern African coast that have survived. Some scholars attribute Arab decedents from India for

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