The spice island, crossroads of cultures and natural paradise
The Zanzibar archipelago lies off the coast north of Dar es Salaam. It’s made up of numerous small islands and two main islands: Pemba and Unguja, which is commonly called Zanzibar. The name probably comes from the term zanj, which the Persians used to refer to the black populations of Africa. Some link it instead to the Arabic zanjabīl meaning “ginger”, but that’s probably an incorrect etymology even though it’s very suggestive, given that Zanzibar is also known as the spice island.
The history of the archipelago and the island that represents it is complex and fascinating. The first to inhabit these lands were the Bantu peoples coming from East Africa, but by the end of the year 1000 Zanzibar had become a strategic location for trade by Arab and Persian merchants. A few centuries later, toward the end of the 1400s, it was the Portuguese turn, and their arrival disrupted the existing trade network. Then with the arrival of the Omanis and the establishment of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, at the start of the 1700s, the island prospered again. Germans and British followed, before Zanzibar freed itself from foreign rule and gained independence in 1963. The following year it became a single nation together with Tanganyika and took the name Tanzania.
The island of Zanzibar has been a crossroads of civilizations and traditions, and traces of these influences are still clearly visible. Swahili culture itself was born from the mixing of Bantu, Arab and Persian customs, but the most striking example of this is the historic center of the capital Stone Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The prevailing architectural style is Moorish, typical of Swahili culture, and in the oldest part of the city you can still admire several buildings of great historical value, like the Arab Fort and the House of Wonders, plus places of exchange like the Darajani spice market or Kelele Square, where the slave trade took place.
Of course Zanzibar isn’t worth visiting only for its cultural richness, but also for the wonderful landscapes it offers. Beaches lined with palm trees, crystal-clear water, coral reefs, mangrove forests and small fishing villages await you.