Zanzibar: A love story
This magnificent island off the coast of Tanzania changed for the worse when it lost its favourite princess to forbidden love
BRUNCH Updated: May 26, 2018 22:00 IST
Princess Nafiza looked out of the window of the fort in Stone Town, Zanzibar. Born to a concubine, she was the favourite daughter of the Sultan of Zanzibar, active, intelligent and popular in the royal household. The sunny morning, the beautiful silver sands and blue waters of the Arabian Sea beckoned her. “Let’s go riding,” she called out to her companions as she left the fort on her favourite horse.
Island of forts and palaces
Zanzibar is the main island in the Arabian Sea close to the African mainland in Tanzania. It has endless silver sand beaches, calm blue seas, historic architecture, friendly people and a past associated with wealth, greed, cruelty, sultans, princes and princesses.
Inhabited for around 20,000 years, it has been ruled down the ages by outsiders – in the 7th century BC by Sabeans of the Semitic civilisation of Sheba of Yemen, and then successively by the Persians, Portuguese, Arab and the British. As the main port of East Africa, it traded in gold, ivory, frankincense, ebony, turtle shells, silks, spices, corals, weapons and slaves.
A view of the Old Fort, also known as Ngome Kongwe, in Stone Town, Zanzibar (iStock)
The Persians arrived in the 12th century. They brought with them their thoughts and culture and built the Zoroastrian fire temples of Zanzibar, the first in Africa. The Portuguese replaced the Persians and ruled from 1498. When the Portuguese could not be tolerated any longer, the Zanzibari Africans took the help of the Sultan of Oman and overthrew them in 1698.
Zanzibar then became an Omani sultanate. The old fort of Zanzibar was built. Plantations of cloves, ginger, pepper,cardamom and vanillawere set up and Zanzibar became known as the ‘Spice Island’. Business boomed and a new Arab-African culture grew up, and from it a new language – the Kiswahili, which is today a major language of East Africa. The Omani sultans liked their life so much that they abandoned Muscat to settle in Zanzibar.
The stone town
The Stone Town is a cluster of buildings, roads and alleyways in the older part of Zanzibar. The name originates from the use ofreddish coral stoneas the main construction material for houses.With narrow alleys lined by houses, shops, bazaars and mosques, its architecture is a combination of Arab, Persian, Indian, European and African styles. It is a little like Dariba Kalan of old Delhi, or parts of old Jerusalem.
The roofscape of Stone Town at sunset (iStock)
To keep their interiors breezy and their appearance majestic, the houses have extensive balconies, embellishments, windows with shutter work and magnificently carved wooden entrance doors. Also, they often have a baraza, or a long stone bench running along the outside walls of the houses, which is used as an elevated sidewalk if heavy rains waterlog the alleys. At other times the barazas can be used as benches to sit down, smoke and socialise.
When Persians arrived in the 12th century, they built the Zoroastrian fire temples of Zanzibar, the first in Africa
The Stone Town of Zanzibar is a Unesco World Heritage Site. The majestic wooden entrance doors of stately houses for which Zanzibar is famous, have elaborate carvings and reliefs sometimes with big brass studs like in Mombasa, Muscat or Kutch. The carvings on the doors often feature verses from the
Quran, or occasionally lotus flowers, betraying Zanzibar’s ancient connection with India. Sometimes one comes across a door where cultures meet; these doors have arches that are Indian and carvings in Arabic.
The House of Wonders, the landmark building in Stone Town, is striking in appearance (Shutterstock)
When the old was new
Zanzibar was extremely modern in its heyday. It was the commercial capital of East Africa and the main gateway to the interior of the African continent. The House of Wonders, the landmark building in Stone Town with extensive balconies, is striking in appearance. Built in 1883, it was the first multistory building erected in much of Africa, with running water, electricity and a lift. The building has been restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and it houses the last Sultan’s furniture, artefacts and his motor car.
The majestic wooden entrance doors of stately houses for which Zanzibar is famous, have elaborate carvings (iStock)
There are many other magnificent buildings in Stone Town, some have been restored and turned into boutique hotels, upscale shops and restaurants. They remind the visitor of the original glory of Zanzibar, with their polished woodwork, brass inlay and stone and mortar walls. Some old buildings still carry the names of their past owners, like the one with the name ‘Currimbhoy’, who was perhaps a trader from India. The old forts on the beach are equally impressive with elaborate pillars and outhouses. There were
hammams in the outhouses, where the Sultans had steam baths using huge copper vessels to generate steam.
To facilitate public transportation in Stone Town, the Sultan had set up a 12km railway line in 1879, which ran parallel to the beach and the town. After a few years, it was dismantled and another was built by the Americans. By 1906, long before even London had them, Stone Town had electric street lights. A brief period of socialism after the British left in 1964 resulted in the only major modification to Stone Town, when an apartment complex was built in a style reminiscent of Russian apartment complexes in East Europe or Central Asia.
The old prison courtyard on the Prison Island (iStock)
At the height of Zanzibar’s glory, it had German, French and American trading houses, and hosted any European or Arab of any importance to Africa. Major expeditions to Africa’s heartland like those of David Livingstone were financed by the Sultan. Much of East Africa was indirectly controlled by him and his wealth.
Princess Nafiza
Princess Nafiza returned to the fort, a little hot and breathless. She was accustomed to the life of royalty, but of late it bored her. Surely life must have something more to satisfy the soul, she thought. As she neared the fort she remembered that she would have to rest and dress up for the moonlit barbecue to be held that night on the beach.
At the barbecue that evening, Princess Nafiza sat with her companions languidly looking at the guests – among them an assortment of mostly young men from Europe. The royal women were served food inside the fort. The men and guests ate outside and discussed spices and the schedule of ships expected to call at the port.
The Stone Town is a cluster of buildings, roads and alleyways in the older part of Zanzibar (iStock)
One young man seemed familiar and Nafiza learnt that he was Karl, the representative of a German trading house from Hamburg. Nafiza asked her companions to find out if it was him she had seen riding on the beach. If it was, he was indeed a very good horseman. By coincidence she saw Karl again the next morning, when she looked out of the window of the west wing of the fort. Karl was standing at a balcony of the hotel opposite the fort. They waved and spoke across the buildings and met briefly on the beach a few days later when they went riding. Thereafter they continued to see each other.
Punishment and exile
It was forbidden by the Sultan for a member of the royal household to have such contacts. Princess Nafiza received 10 days to cut all relations with Karl or face the prospect of exile to Prison Island five kilometres offshore. Karl would have to leave Zanzibar immediately.
Today, Stone Town is crowded: one of the forts on the beach is an open air art gallery and hosts a film festival
The only alternative for the couple was Aden which was under the control of the British. Princess Nafiza and Karl left Zanzibar quietly for Aden where they married and embarked for Hamburg. An Arabian princess, she chose to live in Germany with a German name. She had no choice: the Sultan had sent word that she would never be allowed to set foot in Zanzibar.
The narrow streets of Stone Town (iStock)
The history of Zanzibar changed completely soon after Nafiza left. The Sultan died in 1896, and the new Sultan, Khalid bin Barghash, was seen by the British to be hostile to their interests. To bring Barghash to his knees, the British started shelling Zanzibar from the sea on August 27, 1896, in what became known as the Anglo-Zanzibar War. The Sultan capitulated within 38 minutes. The victorious British formally occupied Zanzibar. In 1964, Tanganyika in mainland Africa and the Zanzibar island secured independence from Britain, joined hands and named the new territory the nation of Tanzania with Dar es Salaam as its capital.
The sacred tree and ancient turtles
Today, Stone Town is crowded with people. One of the forts on the beach is an open air art gallery and holds the annual Zanzibar International Film Festival. The post office has fast Internet facilities. The African Grey Parrot at the entrance to the restaurant next to the post office cries out to guests who enter “Hello, welcome! Do come in and sit down.” The silver sand beach and the calm blue sea are unchanged. But there is nothing living today from the 1890s, when Princess Nafiza met Karl, except the sacred 1,000 year old giant baobab tree on the outskirts of Stone Town where people go to make a wish, and the dignified 150-year-old turtles that live quietly on the Prison Island where Princess Nafiza was to be exiled for falling in love with Karl.
Dr Amitava Chaudhuri is the former UN and World Bank Adviser to Africa
From HT Brunch, May 27, 2018
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- TRAVEL
In Zanzibar, a tale of spice and slavery
SUDHA BALACHANDRAN
MAY 30, 2018 16:31 IST
UPDATED: MAY 31, 2018 14:13 IST
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Zanzibar with its sun, sea and sand is also a witness to the shameful history of slave trading
We flew in to Zanzibar from Arusha in northern Tanzania on a small 40-seater plane run by a private airline called Flight 540. The view from 20,000 ft. above, as we approached Zanzibar, was spectacular - clear green waters of the Indian Ocean, dotted with small land masses filled with lush green vegetation. As the plane descended, it seemed as though we would touch down on water but we didn’t and the flight landed on terra firma and a moist, slightly cool breeze welcomed us as we stepped out made our way past the customs officials.
We found a taxi and headed into town. The driver was a friendly chap and went by the name of Ronaldo. He explained that his real name was Mohammed Naroor but took the pseudonym of Ronaldo after his favourite football player to ensure that European and American tourists find it easy to pronounce and remember his name!
The island was green, and beautiful; it reminded me instantly of Kerala and Goa. We caught glimpses of the sea through the trees as we drove through the town.
Most of the women wore a head-dress called hijab, that covered their heads and neck and fell down to the shoulders. We passed through a road called Bu-Bu-Bu Road, named after the train that used to run there in earlier times. There was a Bu Bu Bu Police Station, and a school named, yes, you guessed it, Bu Bu Bu School.
Spice plantation tour
Our first stop was at a spice plantation and it now definitely felt like we were in Kerala. Guide Habib, took us on a tour of the estate and pointed out the various spices. Our guide was impressed by our knowledge of spices - turmeric, ginger, pepper (called pili pili manga in Swahili), vanilla, cardamom. He twisted a few strands of leaves and made them into lovely objects - tapioca leaves (called cassava, locally) became a necklace, the pineapple plant leaves transformed into glasses while he made crowns from coconut leaves. My girls were mighty impressed and laughed gleefully when he placed mini crowns on their heads; we gave them nice titles to go with the crowns - the Spice Girls! He then showed us the lipstick plant - it had a pod that gave a reddish-orange colour gel when squeezed.
After the plantation tour, we headed to our hotel in the northern part of Zanzibar called Amaan Bungalows. Our room had a wonderful view of the beach. The balcony stood on four wooden pillars and a white sandy beach led out to endless expanse of water, whitish near the shore, light green, then dark green and so on till it extended to the horizon in hues of spectacular turquoise.
Beautiful sunset over the Indian Ocean
The next day, after spending the morning playing in the waves, we went out on a snorkelling and sunset cruise. One of the locals introduced himself as ‘Captain’ and offered to take us on the cruise. He asked, ‘You from India?’ When we answered ‘Yes’, he immediately declared, “Mujhe kuchchu kuchchu hota hay!”
We went along with the Captain in his dhow, into the Indian Ocean wearing life jackets and snorkelling gear and explored the colourful underwater world full of fish and coral. After a good hour of this, we clambered into the boat which swayed gently as the wind caught the sails. The sunset made us clap and sigh in wonder. The western sky turned red, then orange until the sun submerged into the sea after a spectacular show.
Slave Cave Tour
The next day, Ronaldo, took us out again . First stop was the Slave Cave. The place looked deserted and Ronaldo introduced a young guide to us who would take us on the tour. We followed our young guide down a few rugged steps into a a dark hollow cavern; we had to use torches to see our way down.
Even after slave trade was abolished Arab kings continued to hide slaves in this cave. There was a secret exit from the cave into the sea where waiting ships carried them away to bonded labour. The sea was some distance away , but it was not difficult to imagine how it must have been for the men and women chained and forced to walk the path towards the ship that would carry them far away from home to a life of untold misery.
Old Stone Town Tour
We visited the Old Stone Town with its extraordinarily narrow lanes where one could either walk or cycle. We stopped at the erstwhile slave market which now houses the Christ Church Cathedral in its premises. The altar of the church is supposedly built right on the spot where the whipping staff used to be!
We climbed down to the dungeons of the old building where the slaves were detained before they were auctioned. It was a hideous place - small and narrow with no windows. There were two rooms on either side, for men and women and children. Small square openings in the wall acted as ventilators. The room was otherwise dark and dingy. There were hooks embedded in the walls - presumably to chain the slaves. Missionary David Livingstone, who travelled and lived in Zanzibar, is said to have worked tirelessly to abolish slavery here. We visited the citadel that was constructed to commemorate the abolition of slavery. And on the way the area where slave auctions were held. Lest the world forgets, the site today has clay figures of slaves with their hands tied behind their backs and chains around their necks.
A palace has been converted into a museum and is called the House of Wonders as it was the first building in the area to have electricity and an elevator. It has one of the biggest door frames at the entrance. A massive sail boat is laid out in the middle of the front room to welcome visitors. It houses knives, clothes, pottery and other artefacts from the past.
Apparently, the shortest war in history took place here between the British and the Arab King and it lasted about 38 minutes as the Arab king surrendered quickly to the British forces. A part of his palace, the stables and other neighbouring buildings were ruined in the bomb attack but were renovated subsequently.
Walking through the narrow lanes one can see some some examples of the Indian architectural styles as quite a few Indians - mostly Gujaratis- came down to Zanzibar in the 1800s.
As we left the shores of Zanzibar on a ferry towards, we saw the white buildings of the Palace clearly outlined, standing silently and solemnly, looking out to the sea - a mute witness to history.
Kwaheri (Goodbye) Zanzibar!
Zanzibar: A love story