Zanzibar, Tanzania

            Wednesday, 21 Feb 2018 – Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, but consists of many small islands and two large ones in the Indian Ocean 16 to 31 miles off the coast of the mainland.  The main island is Unguja, referred to informally as Zanzibar, and the capital is Zanzibar City.

As passengers disembarked the Insignia this morning, at least three young female dancers in colorful costumes were dancing on the pier and two others, drumming, to welcome us.  We walked on to board our bus for our 4-hour excursion “Sultan Heritage,” which left the pier at about 8:45 AM.  Our guide Hammat and driver Volor (probably both spelled incorrectly) were in charge.  They were both wearing white Muslim coats over their clothes and round hats, as were all of the guides and drivers that we saw that morning.  Also, many of the female pedestrians on the city streets were in long dresses with veils.  Although Tanzania has a Christian majority, Zanzibar’s population is almost entirely Muslim.

Our first activity was walking through the Sultana Market (city market).  Although we have visited several markets on this cruise, this one was unusual because of the large number of huge, fresh-caught fish which were just being delivered and cut up, some three feet long or longer!  We saw containers of squid and parts of squid, which Jesse found very unappetizing!

Next, we visited Stone Town, the historic center of Zanzibar.  When Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined each other to form the United Republic of Tanzania, Zanzibar kept a semi-autonomous status, with Stone Town as its local government seat.  Stone Town has historical and artistic importance in East Africa, reflecting the influences underlying the Swahili culture, giving a unique mixture of Arab, Persian, Indian, and European elements.  Therefore the town was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

Slave Monument

The Anglican Cathedral is in Stone Town.  Built in 1874, it is a landmark historical church, and a prominent example of early Christian architecture in East Africa.  The church is located in the center of the old town, and occupies a large area where the biggest slave market of Zanzibar used to be.  The Great Slave Market was once the hub of slave trade for all of East Africa.

In fact, the construction of the cathedral was intended to celebrate the end of slavery.  The altar is said to be in the exact place where the main “whipping post” of the market used to be.  In the square is a monument to the slaves (a few human figures in chains emerging from a pit) as well as a very small museum on slavery.  We walked down some stairs to visit the dark underground chambers where slaves were once held before being sold on the market.  It is our understanding that the majority of these slaves were shipped to Saudi Arabia and other Middle-Eastern countries.

Our drive continued along the seafront of Stone Town, where sultans once lived with their families.  Although we passed by the House of Wonders, it is currently closed for renovation.  Originally built as a palace in 1883, it was intended as a ceremonial palace and official reception hall, celebrating modernity.  It was named “House of Wonders” because it was the first building in Zanzibar to have electricity and also the first building in East Africa to have an elevator.  Not too far from there is the Old Fort (built by the Portuguese).  A stop was then made at the Sultan’s Palace Museum, where the last sultan ruled over Zanzibar prior to the 1964 revolution.

Muslim Koranic School

After that, our tour proceeded to the village of Kizimbani.  Here, we learned the importance of nutmeg and cloves, the area’s two main spices.  One female villager was using mud to construct a wall of her mud house.  Also, our guide explained various food items and how they were being combined for their dinner.  With the huts surrounded by banana trees, we could see why bananas play a significant part in their meals.  In the village, we stood inside one classroom where a Muslim Koranic school was in progress and all of the children sang enthusiastically for us.

            Today was the hottest day so far on this cruise.  When we started, we were told that the temperature was 96 degrees.  However, while we were walking in the village, it rained lightly.  (Since we were dripping with sweat anyway, the additional moisture was barely noticeable!)  Apparently the clouds helped to block some of the heat from the sun; when we arrived back to the Insignia, the temperature was “only” 92 degrees.

After cleaning up a little, we went for a light lunch – after which Sally took a long nap.  (She hadn’t slept well the previous night, and the heat was terribly draining.)  No swimming today, but we did dance after dinner for a half hour.