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Zanzibar
Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. The capital is Zanzibar City, located on the island of Unguja. Its historic centre, Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site.
Zanzibar is also a semi-autonomous region that united with Tanganyika in 1964, and formed the present-day United Republic of Tanzania. The archipelago's main industries are spices, raffia, and tourism. The main spices produced are clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, coconut, and black pepper. The Zanzibar Archipelago, together with Tanzania's Mafia Island, is sometimes referred to locally as the "Spice Islands". Tourism in Zanzibar is a more recent activity, driven by government promotion that caused an increase from 19,000 tourists in 1985, to 376,000 in 2016. The islands are accessible via five ports and the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, which can serve up to 1.5 million passengers per year.
Zanzibar's marine ecosystem plays a vital role in its fishing and algacultural industries; these ecosystems act as nurseries for Indian Ocean fish populations. Moreover, the land ecosystem is the home of the endemic Zanzibar red colobus, the Zanzibar servaline genet, and the extinct or rare Zanzibar leopard. Environmental pressure from the tourism and fishing industries, as well as larger threats such as sea level rise caused by climate change, are creating increasing environmental concerns throughout the region.
The word Zanzibar came from Arabic zanjibār (زنجبار [zandʒibaːr]), which is in turn from Persian zangbâr (زنگبار [zæŋbɒːɾ]), a compound of Zang (زنگ [zæŋ], "black") + bâr (بار [bɒːɾ], "coast"), cf. the Sea of Zanj. The name is one of several toponyms sharing similar etymologies, ultimately meaning "land of the blacks" or similar meanings, in reference to the dark skin of the inhabitants.
The presence of microliths suggests that Zanzibar has been home to humans for at least 20,000 years, since the beginning of the Later Stone Age.
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a Greco-Roman text written between the 1st and 3rd centuries, mentioned the island of Menuthias (Ancient Greek: Μενουθιάς), which is likely Unguja.
At the outset of the first millennium, both Zanzibar and the adjacent coast were settled by Bantu speakers. Archaeological finds at Fukuchani, on the northwest coast of Zanzibar, indicate a settled agricultural and fishing community from the 6th century at the latest. The considerable amount of daub discovered indicates timber buildings; shell beads, bead grinders, and iron slag have been found at the site as well. There is evidence of 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.[citation needed] The similarity to contemporary sites in Mkokotoni and Dar es Salaam indicates a unified group of communities that independently developed into a center of coastal maritime culture.[citation needed] The coastal towns appear to have been engaged in Indian Ocean and inland African trade at this early period. Trade rapidly increased in importance and quantity beginning in the mid-8th century; by the close of the 10th century, Zanzibar was one of the central Swahili trading towns.
Excavations at nearby Pemba Island, as well as at Shanga in the Lamu Archipelago, provide the clearest picture of the region's architectural development. Houses were originally built with timber (circa 1050) and later in mud with coral walls (circa 1150). The houses were continuously 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, and the strength of the materials allowed for flat roofs. By contrast, the majority of the population lived in single-story thatched houses similar to those of the 11th and 12th centuries. According to Thomas Spear, John Middleton, and Mark Horton, the architectural style of these stone houses has 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 was rebuilt during Omani rule, nearby sites elucidate the general development of Swahili and Zanzibari architecture before the 15th century.
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Zanzibar
Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. The capital is Zanzibar City, located on the island of Unguja. Its historic centre, Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site.
Zanzibar is also a semi-autonomous region that united with Tanganyika in 1964, and formed the present-day United Republic of Tanzania. The archipelago's main industries are spices, raffia, and tourism. The main spices produced are clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, coconut, and black pepper. The Zanzibar Archipelago, together with Tanzania's Mafia Island, is sometimes referred to locally as the "Spice Islands". Tourism in Zanzibar is a more recent activity, driven by government promotion that caused an increase from 19,000 tourists in 1985, to 376,000 in 2016. The islands are accessible via five ports and the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, which can serve up to 1.5 million passengers per year.
Zanzibar's marine ecosystem plays a vital role in its fishing and algacultural industries; these ecosystems act as nurseries for Indian Ocean fish populations. Moreover, the land ecosystem is the home of the endemic Zanzibar red colobus, the Zanzibar servaline genet, and the extinct or rare Zanzibar leopard. Environmental pressure from the tourism and fishing industries, as well as larger threats such as sea level rise caused by climate change, are creating increasing environmental concerns throughout the region.
The word Zanzibar came from Arabic zanjibār (زنجبار [zandʒibaːr]), which is in turn from Persian zangbâr (زنگبار [zæŋbɒːɾ]), a compound of Zang (زنگ [zæŋ], "black") + bâr (بار [bɒːɾ], "coast"), cf. the Sea of Zanj. The name is one of several toponyms sharing similar etymologies, ultimately meaning "land of the blacks" or similar meanings, in reference to the dark skin of the inhabitants.
The presence of microliths suggests that Zanzibar has been home to humans for at least 20,000 years, since the beginning of the Later Stone Age.
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a Greco-Roman text written between the 1st and 3rd centuries, mentioned the island of Menuthias (Ancient Greek: Μενουθιάς), which is likely Unguja.
At the outset of the first millennium, both Zanzibar and the adjacent coast were settled by Bantu speakers. Archaeological finds at Fukuchani, on the northwest coast of Zanzibar, indicate a settled agricultural and fishing community from the 6th century at the latest. The considerable amount of daub discovered indicates timber buildings; shell beads, bead grinders, and iron slag have been found at the site as well. There is evidence of 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.[citation needed] The similarity to contemporary sites in Mkokotoni and Dar es Salaam indicates a unified group of communities that independently developed into a center of coastal maritime culture.[citation needed] The coastal towns appear to have been engaged in Indian Ocean and inland African trade at this early period. Trade rapidly increased in importance and quantity beginning in the mid-8th century; by the close of the 10th century, Zanzibar was one of the central Swahili trading towns.
Excavations at nearby Pemba Island, as well as at Shanga in the Lamu Archipelago, provide the clearest picture of the region's architectural development. Houses were originally built with timber (circa 1050) and later in mud with coral walls (circa 1150). The houses were continuously 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, and the strength of the materials allowed for flat roofs. By contrast, the majority of the population lived in single-story thatched houses similar to those of the 11th and 12th centuries. According to Thomas Spear, John Middleton, and Mark Horton, the architectural style of these stone houses has 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 was rebuilt during Omani rule, nearby sites elucidate the general development of Swahili and Zanzibari architecture before the 15th century.
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