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Zanzibar Archipelago

Includes  Why Go? ...... 77 Step off the boat or plane onto the Zanzibar Archipelago, & Ng’ambo and you’ll be transported through the centuries – to ancient (Zanzibar Town). . . .77 Persia and tales of Shirazi merchants that inspired Sinbad Mangapwani. . . . .100 the Sailor, to the court of Swahili princes and Omani sul- Kendwa ...... 104 tans, to India, with its heavily laden scents. For over 2000 years the monsoon winds have shaped the Matemwe...... 105 landscape and culture of these islands. Stone Town’s Bwejuu...... 109 Indo-Arabian architecture provides an exotic urban back- Paje...... 110 drop for elderly men playing bao (traditional board game) Jambiani ...... 111 while women in their bui-bui (Islamic cover-alls) pause to Kizimkazi...... 114 chat. On Pemba, clove farms creep up the hillsides and farm- ers load crates of mangoes onto outbound boats. And, along Menai Bay...... 115 the coast, village life remains steeped in tradition as fishing Pemba ...... 116 dhows set sail on high tides and women farm seaweed off Chake Chake. . . . .117 powder-white coral sand. With its tropical tableau and Wete...... 121 unique culture, the archipelago offers the quintessential experience.

Best for Nature When to Go ¨¨Jozani Forest (p108) Zanzibar Town °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm ¨¨Chumbe Island Coral Park 40/104 16/400 (p101) 30/86 12/300 ¨¨Pemba Flying Foxes (p124) ¨¨Misali Island (p120) 20/68 8/200

10/50 4/100

0/32 0 Best for Culture J FDM A M J J A S O N ¨¨Dhow Countries Music Academy (p95) Mar-May Masika, Jul A culture- Jul-Aug Kitesurf- the main rains, packed month ing season and ¨¨Mrembo Spa (p82) fall; some hotels with the Interna- summer holidays ¨¨Sauti za Busara (p87) close and Zanzibar tional Film Fes- bring higher ¨¨Seaweed Center (p110) is crowd-free. tival and Mwaka prices and hordes Kogwa. of visitors. ------(written for sailors by a Greek for sailors (written From the mid-19th century, with increas the mid-19th century, From 1972 in assassinated was Karume and The arrival of the Portuguese in the early The of the Portuguese arrival Between the 12ththe Between 15thand centuries cession of leaders followed, culminating followed, leaders inof cession cated his court here from the Persian Gulf. his courtcated here from the Persian ing European interest in East and the Zan Omani rule over trade, end of the slave and in 1862 the sul zibar began to weaken, was formally partitioned.tanate Zanzibar became independent of Oman, with Omani sultans ruling under a British protectorate. This lasted until 10 December arrangement 1963, when Zanzibar gained its independ 1964, in January one month later, ence. Just overthrownthe sultans were in a bloody rev Party Afro-Shirazi the by instigated olution On 12 (ASP), which then assumed power. April 1964 Abeid Karume, president of the with Tan of unity signed a declaration ASP, and the union, (mainland ) ganyika from the outset, fragile became known as Republic of Tanzania. the United assumed the presidency of Aboud Jumbe Zanzibar until he resigned in 1984. A suc tiles. With the trade from the East also cametiles. With the trade architecture still and the Arabic that Islam today. characterises the archipelago 16th century interrupted this temporarily fell Pemba as Zanzibar and then age, golden was challenged control. It under Portuguese the British, and then by Omani Ar by first By the early abs in the mid-16th century. 19th century Oman had gained the upper on the island and trade hand on Zanzibar, ivoryagain flourished, centred on slaves, reached such a high point Trade and cloves. 1840s the in that relo Oman Sultan of the History history stretches at back The archipelago’s leaststart to the millennium, the first of from the peoples Bantu-speaking when and across the Zanzibar mainland ventured The channels. PeriplusPemba of the Eryth Sea raean reference to AD 60) makes merchant around histo which many Menouthias, the island of around From rians believeZanzibar. to be from Persia traders Shirazi the 8th century, to , their way also began to make where they on Pem established settlements Ukuu. Zanzibar’s ba, and at Gulf Persian and the links with Arabia trade a powerfulblossomed. Zanzibar became ivory gold, andsupplying slaves, city-state, and Asia, to places as distant as India wood while importing glassware and tex spices, 50 km

). 5 miles Pemba ). ) and INDIAN OCEAN Jambiani Chake Chake (p77 Wete East Coast Beaches

Mkoani Channel

Matemwe & Mnemba Pemba Pemba 00). Uzi Zanzibar Jozani Forest 0 02 ). (octopus), mhogo (octopus), (p1 Dar es Salaam ). Nungwi Zanzibar ).

Tanga nel Tongoni n

a ) and diving Mnemba’s ) Ch A7 Town Stone Tumbatu

Island r

(50km ve Chumbe A14 Zanzibar

Mombasa

i Ri Bagamoyo Mligaji Meeting ghosts and making friends ghosts Meeting Sailing to Chumbe Island (p101 to Sailing Meeting dhow-builders and heading and heading dhow-builders Meeting and plantations spice out to Cycling luxury luxury in Matemwe’s Chilling-out Sampling pweza Sampling Nabbing African print bags, bespoke bespoke print bags, African Nabbing Tracking red colobus monkeys in monkeys colobus red Tracking underwater underwater Diving Pemba’s Mkwaja

Sigi Pangani

River

lodges (p105 lodges crystal-clear waters waters crystal-clear leather sandals and oyster-shell jewellery jewellery and oyster-shell sandals leather (p95). Street on Gizenga (p108 Forest Jozani mountains, sponge beds and pristine beds and pristine sponge mountains, (p116 gardens coral 1 Zanzibar Archipelago Highlights 9 8 6 7 4 5 3 2 Stone Town Town Stone of tours on cultural seeing what conservation can do for coral coral do for can what conservation seeing gardens. out on sunset cruises in Nungwi (p101 cruises out on sunset discovering what tumeric and cinnamon discovering wild (p82). in the like look (roasted cassava) and rock lobster in lobster and rock cassava) (roasted (p111 Jambiani

River

Pangan Saadani National Park Wani

zibar Archipelago HIGHLIGHTS

Zan 76