Zanzibar Introduction

Zanzibar as used today, is the collective name for two East African islands off mainland Tanzania: Unguja (also called Zanzibar) and Pemba. The capital of the islands, located on the island of Unguja, is also known as Zanzibar. The city's old quarter, known as Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site.

Zanzibar's main industries are spices (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper) and tourism. Zanzibar is also the home of the endemic Zanzibar Red Colobus.

Zanzibar Weather

The climate of Zanzibar is tropical maritime. Temperature ranges between 17o and 40o C. There are two distinct wet seasons: Masika – the long rain period – from the month of March to early June, and during which rainfall is typically between 90 cm and 100 cm; and Vuli – the short rain period – from October to December, during which rainfall is typically between 40 cm and 50 cm. Because of these rainfall peaks, Zanzibar always green; thus it’s one-time nickname of “the green islands”. January and February are the driest months of the year, with less than 20 cm rainfall. Pemba is usually wetter than Unguja, with average annual rainfall of 190 cm compared to 160 cm for Unguja.

Zanzibar Attractions

Mangapwani Caves

There are two Mangapwani Caves: one is a large natural cave with a freshwater pool which was supposedly used by slave traders to hide slaves after the legal trade was abolished in the late 19th century. To the north is the second cave, which is a cell that was used as a holding pen for slaves before they were shipped elsewhere.

Beit el-Ajaib (House of Wonders)

The elegant Beit el-Ajaib is one of the most prominent buildings in the old Stone Town, and one of the largest structures in Zanzibar. It was built in 1883 by Sultan Barghash as a ceremonial palace and its enormous doors are said to be the largest carved doors in east Africa. The exterior is the main attraction but a museum is being established inside.

Beit al-Sahel (Palace Museum)

This museum is devoted to the era of the Zanzibar sultanate. The ground floor displays details of the formative period of the sultanate from 1828 to 1870, during which commercial treaties were signed between Zanzibar and the major empires of the time. The rest of the museum contains memorabilia from influential sultans and princesses.

Zanzibar History

The first permanent residents of Zanzibar seem to have been the ancestors of the Hadimu and Tumbatu, who began arriving from the East African mainland around AD 1000. They had belonged to various mainland ethnic groups, and on Zanzibar they lived in small villages and did not coalesce to form larger political units. Because they lacked central organization, they were easily subjugated by outsiders.

Traders from the Persian Gulf region began to settle in small numbers on Zanzibar in the late 11th or 12th century; they intermarried with the indigenous Africans and eventually a hereditary ruler (known as the Mwenyi Mkuu or Jumbe), emerged among the Hadimu. A similar ruler, called the Sheha, was set up among the Tumbatu. Neither ruler had much power, but they helped solidify the ethnic identity of their respective peoples

In 1698, Zanzibar became part of the overseas holdings of Oman, falling under the control of the Sultan of Oman.

Sayyid Said bin Sultan al-Busaid, moved his capital from Muscat in Oman to Stone Town in 1840. After his death in 1856, his sons struggled over the succession. On April 6, 1861, Zanzibar and Oman were divided into two separate principalities. Sayyid Majid bin Said Al-Busaid (1834/5–1870), his sixth son, became the Sultan of Zanzibar, while his brother, the third son Sayyid Thuwaini bin Said al-Said became the Sultan of Oman.

During this period, the Sultan of Zanzibar also controlled a substantial portion of the east African coast, known as Zanj, including Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, and trading routes extended much further into Africa, such as to Kindu on the Congo river. In November 1886, a German-British border commission established the Zanj as a ten-nautical mile (19 km) wide strip along the coast from Cape Delgado (now in Mozambique) to Kipini (now in Kenya) including all offshore islands and several towns in what is now in Somalia. However, from 1887 to 1892, all of these mainland possessions were subsequently lost to the colonial powers of Britain, Germany, and Italy although some were not formally sold or ceded until the 20th century (Mogadishu to Italy in 1905 and Mombasa to Kenya in 1963).

The British Empire gradually took over, and Zanzibar and the British position was formalized by the 1890 Helgoland-Zanzibar Treaty in which Germany pledged not to interfere with British interests in insular Zanzibar. Zanzibar became a protectorate of the United Kingdom that year. The British appointed first Viziers from 1890 to 1913, and then British Residents from 1913 to 1963.

On August 27, 1896, the short Anglo-Zanzibar War broke out over the succession of Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini and ended with the accession of British client Sultan Hamoud bin Mohammed. The war is the shortest war in history; Zanzibar surrendered after 45 minutes [1]. Acquiescing to British demands, Hamoud brought an end to Zanzibar's role as a centre for the eastern slave trade that had begun under Omani rule in 17th Century by banning slavery and freeing the slaves of Zanzibar with compensation in 1897.

On December 19, 1963, Zanzibar received its independence from the United Kingdom as a constitutional monarchy under the Sultan. This state of affairs was short-lived, as the Sultan was overthrown on January 12, 1964, and on April 26 of that year Zanzibar merged with the mainland state of Tanganyika to form Tanzania, of which it remains a part of to this day.