‘Swahili’ actually means ‘coast’. The term is applies to the unique blend of Arab, African, European and Indian culture which developed along the East African coast as a result of trade links with Oman, the South Arabian Peninsula and India. The trading language that developed is spoken throughout Tanzania, Kenya and coastal East Africa and is known as KiSwahili.
For hundreds of years, Stone Town was the heart of this rich and powerful trading community. Situated on the sheltered western side of the island of Zanzibar (also called Unguja), it is the only historic trading port along the Swahili coast that is still functioning and inhabited. Most of the buildings were made of white-washed local coral limestone during the 19th century when Zanzibar was in its heyday. Exports of slaves and ivory accounted for most of its wealth, and the Sultan of Zanzibar still kept a harem.
With the abolition of the slave trade, Zanzibar’s economic and political fortunes declined and Stone Town fell into disrepair. To preserve this vital part of East African history, UNESCO made it a World Heritage Site in 2000, declaring that Stone Town was “an outstanding material manifestation of cultural fusion and harmonisation”.
Fortunately, its inhabitants never abandoned the original buildings, and have the necessary skills in stone and woodworking to continue the restoration work. Many of the finer buildings are now up-market hotels, art galleries and craft shops, but enough of the unique original atmosphere of shady alleys, overhanging balconies and mysterious courtyards remains to give glimpses of a past that was both sophisticated and brutal.
