Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Relax on picture-perfect, white-sand
eastern beaches
(
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)
fringed
by palm trees and the turquoise sea
Discover unknown corners and culture in green and hilly
Pemba
(
Click
Dive and snorkel
(
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) amid shoals of colourful fish around
Mnemba atoll, Misali Island or elsewhere around the archipelago
Browse for
souvenirs
(
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)
in tiny shops fragrant with spices
Indulge in some pampering at one of the island's many
spas
(
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)
Step into local life at night markets at Zanzibar Town's
Forodhani Gardens
(
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)
and in Pemba's
Chake Chake
(
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)
History
The archipelago's history stretches back at least to the start of the first millennium, when
Bantu-speaking peoples from the mainland ventured across the Zanzibar and Pemba chan-
nels - perhaps in search of bigger fish and better beaches. The islands had probably been
visited at an even earlier date by traders and sailors from Arabia. The
Periplus of the
Erythraean Sea
(written for sailors by a Greek merchant around AD 60) documents small
Arabic trading settlements along the coast that were already well established by the 1st cen-
tury, and makes reference to the island of Menouthias, which many historians believe to
be Zanzibar. From around the 8th century, Shirazi traders from Persia also began to make
their way to East Africa, where they established settlements on Pemba, and probably also
at Zanzibar's Unguja Ukuu.
Between the 12th and 15th centuries, the archipelago came into its own, as trade links
with Arabia and the Persian Gulf blossomed. Zanzibar became a powerful city-state, sup-
plying slaves, gold, ivory and wood to places as distant as India and Asia, while importing
spices, glassware and textiles. With the trade from the East also came Islam and the Arab-
ic architecture that still characterises the archipelago today. One of the most important ar-
chaeological remnants from this era is the mosque at Kizimkazi (
Click here
)
, whose mihrab
(prayer niche showing the direction to Mecca) dates from the early 12th century.
UNGUJA VERSUS ZANZIBAR
Unguja is the Swahili name for Zanzibar. It's often used locally to distinguish
the island from the Zanzibar Archipelago (which also includes Pemba), as well
as from Zanzibar Town. In this topic, for ease of recognition, we've used Zan-
zibar.
The word 'Zanzibar', from the Arabic Zinj el-Barr or 'Land of the Blacks',
was used by Arab traders from at least the 8th or 9th century until the arrival of
