beit el mtoni the house at the creek1 Antoni Folkers and Gerrit Smienk major pearce’s remorse ‘I was at Mtoni Palace yesterday. I see there is a piece of the Persian bath and a wall of the women’s quarters still in situ and not absorbed into the oil godown. The ruined portion is however so overgrown with creepers etc that it is inacces- sible and the interiors are I expect full of bats and pythons. Mtoni Palace is of course of great interest as being the fi rst Palace Seyyid Said, the founder of modern Zanzibar and the initiator of the Clove Industry built here in 1828 when he determined to make Zanzibar his African Capital. After gen- erations will I expect put us down as vandals for having turned the palace into an oil godown, just as we wonder nowadays at the vandalism of smashing up the stained glass of our cathedrals and the whitewashing of our churches. However I think this remnant of the palace might be preserved and in any case cleared of growth, cleaned out and wire doors put up to keep out the vermin. I suppose the D of A has charge, but in any case there is Rs2000 in the estimates some of which could be spared to clean up Mtoni. Tell him to get the place free of growth, and then I can go and see what other steps can be done.’ ‘P.S. I write this minute for future generations, to whom Mtoni will be merely a name of a place “where the oil comes from”. So please fi le this for the benefi t of our successors.’2 1 Mtoni in Kiswahili means ‘at the creek’, ‘mto’ being creek and the suffi x ‘-ni’ standing for ‘at’ 2 Zanzibar Archives, Mtoni folder fi g. 35 35 This note was signed Major FB Pearce, the British Resident on Zanzibar on 17th Febru- 5 ary 1919. Pearce, author of a study on the history of Zanzibar3, paid this visit to Mtoni 1 on his free Sunday afternoon. He was able to think about other things than war and politics as the First World War was just over. 2 3 The colonial clerks and their successors after Independence in 1963 remained true to Pearce’s request, and the note survived up to date. Unfortunately though, it sits rath- 4 er lonely in the Mtoni Palace fi le in the archives. Next to a couple of engravings, the 6 odd photograph and schematic Public Works Department conversion plans for the 7 said oil godown, the archives remain silent on the history of Mtoni Palace. It is mainly thanks to Emily Ruete’s writings that we have been able to walk through the palace 8 during its heydays, in her footsteps as young Princess Salme, daughter of the illustri- ous Seyyid Said who had made Mtoni Palace the heart of his newly founded empire. Thanks to Pearce’s feelings about the rich heritage of Zanzibar, the ‘Ancient Monu- ments Preservation Decree’ was passed in 1927. Mtoni Palace would be declared in 1957, and has remained listed up to today. Although the Revolution was understand- ably not positive about the colonial past, none of Zanzibar’s built monuments were 9 wantonly destroyed. In a way, the industrial use of Mtoni Palace preserved the complex from total annihi- lation. The oil storage in the palace complex ceased by the middle of the twentieth century, probably because of the introduction of bulk storage and fi lling inlet directly from oil tankers from the seaside4. By 1960, the palace complex was converted into a cement storage5, and would remain so until the late eighties. Only at the moment when the buildings were vacated in the nineties decay became threatening. On the joined initiative by the Director of Archives, Monuments and fi g. 36 1900 chart Zanzibar harbour approaches Antiquities and Mtoni Marine Centre further degradation has been called to a halt. It was however not a member of the Al-Busaidi family who fi rst settled at Mtoni. It 1 English pass ArchiAfrika and the RMIT department of the Faculty of Architecture at Delft Uni- would be Saleh bin Haramil from the Al-Abry rivalling family who built himself a house 2 French Pass 3 French Island (Chapwani) versity of Technology initiated research work on the ruins in 2006. Simultaneously, at the strategic location overlooking the main naval approach to the city of Zanzibar. 4 Beit el Mtoni archaeological excavations were carried out under guidance of Professor Abdurah- Not only did Saleh build his house at Mtoni, he was also the fi rst to introduce clove 5 Beit el Ras man Juma and cleaning and conservations works by Said Hamad and Stephanie cultivation to Zanzibar. He took the seeds from the French plantations in Bourbon to 6 Mtoni Creek 3 Pearce 1920 Schötz commenced. plant them in his gardens at Mtoni and Kizimbani in 1818. His excellent connections 7 Chem Chem Spring 4 Site layout plan with ‘Proposed with the French would earn him the nickname ‘the perfect Frenchman’7. 8 Marhubi Palace additional bulk oil depot Mtoni 9 Stone Town Zanzibar’, Geoff rey Mill of the Saleh would not benefi t long from his properties. It might have been his pro-French Zanzibar Planning Authority, Nov the french island and the english pass attitude that caused pro-British Seyyid Said bin Sultan to fi nd an alibi to seize Saleh’s 1959. Zanzibar archives, Mtoni folder properties, which happened in 1828 when he was allegedly caught trespassing the 5 Juma Abdurahman 1987: 18 Zanzibar was a place of secondary importance within the East African world at the Moresby Treaty8. Tension between the pro-French and British parties was substantial 6 The Al-Busaidi family ruled Zanzibar 7 Sheriff 1987: 49 and Studdy Leigh/ up to 1964 and Al-Busaidi descendant wake of the nineteenth century but its star was rising fast. The island would soon during the days of the Napoleonic wars. The memories of this period were long kept in Kirkman 1980: I/298 Sultan Qaboos is the current reigning come to play a crucial role in the ascendency of Omani power over a large stretch of the name giving of Chapwani island opposite Mtoni ‘l’Île Français’ and the main naval 8 Sheriff 1987: 49,50 and Studdy Leigh/ monarch of Oman East Africa, and Mtoni would become the cradle of the rule of the Al-Busaidi family6. access channel to Zanzibar port between Chapwani and Mtoni called ‘the English Pass’. Kirkman 1980: I/285 36 beit el mtoni – the house at the creek 37 Seyyid Said thought Mtoni a convenient acquisition. He ordered his son Seyyid Khalid It is not known to date when this structure was built, unless we can identify it with the bin Said to move from Muscat to Zanzibar to represent him next to his local vizier ‘Old fort built by Seyyid Majid, 1868’, shown on a recently unearthed picture from the Seyyid Suleiman bin Hamed in the rule of the island and to set up court at Mtoni9. Zanzibar Archives. In 1960 a substantial building, referred to as ‘hunting lodge’15 was Seyyid Said chose the house because of its strategic location and its access to abun- demolished to make room for the development of a tourist training centre. This could dant drinking water. Mtoni was within direct reach of his fl eet; it guarded the naval well have been the above mentioned fort. access to the city and was yet well distanced from the city itself. In case of a local uprising it would be easy to defend the house from an attack from the city. The roads Historical images of Mtoni Palace from the middle of the nineteenth century do not to Mtoni at that time were mere tracks through the wilderness and crossing streams, provide us with information on any military characteristics such as crenellation and passable on horseback or donkey only. defence walls. The only crenellation is the parapet decoration on the northern wing of the palace, certainly added after the arrival of Seyyid Said in 1833. This does not con- It may well have been that Seyyid Khalid carried out construction works on Saleh’s fi rm that there had been no crenellation before. A similar discussion can be held on fi g. 39 Birkat el Mawz in Oman house, to reinforce its military and ceremonial position and to prepare the lodging of the fenestration of the building. There are fair reasons to believe that there were few the full court from Muscat that was envisaged by his father.10 or no ground fl oor windows before 1833, but evidence to support this view can only be obtained after removal of the thick cement plaster on the outside of the building. fi g. 37 Possible reconstruction of Saleh bin Mtoni Palace served as Seyyid Said’s foothold until he saw fi t to move himself in 1833. Haramil’s house at Mtoni From the period preceding this step, which was the period of assessment of Al-Busaidi The absence of extensive defence works on the palace grounds during this uncertain rule on Zanzibar, little remains that refers to the assumed military function of the period can be explained by the protection of war ships that were moored at Mtoni. palace. This is somewhat surprising because Omani architecture is particularly known Protection of the palace and the English Pass might have been more eff ective from through its military character. sea than from land. At later times, during Seyyid Said’s residency at Mtoni, there was a continuous presence of armed ships guarding the palace and its environment16.