Kilwa Kisiwani

Ruins in Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	United Republic of Tanzania
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iii
Reference	144
Region**	Africa
Inscription history
Inscription	1981  (5th Session)
Endangered	2004
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

Kilwa Kisiwani is a community on an island off the coast of East Africa, in present day Tanzania.

Contents 1 History 2 Tourism 3 Notes 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External links

[edit] History

A document written around 1200 C.E. called al-Maqama al Kilwiyya discovered in Oman, gives details of a mission to reconvert Kilwa to Ibadism, as it had recently been effected by the Ghurabiyya Shia doctrine from southern Iraq.

In the 11th century, the island of Kilwa Kisiwani was sold to a Persian trader Ali bin Al-Hasan, who founded the city and the Kilwa Sultanate. Over the next few centuries, Kilwa grew to be a major city and trading centre along that coast, with overlordship and inland as far as Zimbabwe. Trade was mainly in gold and iron from Zimbabwe, ivory and slaves from Tanzania, and textiles, jewelry, porcelain, and spices from Asia.

By the 12th century, under the rule of the Mahdali, Kilwa had become the most powerful city on the East African coast. At the zenith of its power in the 15th C., the Kilwa Sultanate owned or claimed overlordship over the city-states of Malindi, Mombassa, Pemba, Zanzibar, Mafia, Comoro, Mozambique, Sofala, and the trading posts across the channel on Madagascar. Abu Abdullah Ibn Battuta recorded his visit to the city around 1330, and commented favorably on the humility and religion of its ruler, Sultan al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman.^[1] From this period date the construction of the Palace of Husuni Kubwa and a significant extension to the Great Mosque of Kilwa.

In the early 16th century, Vasco da Gama extorted tribute from the wealthy Islamic state, but not soon after, another Portuguese force commanded by D. Francisco de Almeida took control of the island (1505), and it remained in Portuguese hands until 1512, when an Arab mercenary captured Kilwa. The city regained some of its earlier prosperity, but in 1784 it came under the rule of the Omani rulers of Zanzibar. After the Omani conquest, the French built and manned a fort at the northern tip of the island, but the city itself was abandoned in the 1840s. It was later part of the colony of German East Africa from 1886 to 1918.

Serious archeological investigation began in the 1950s. In 1981 it was declared a World Heritage Site, and noted visitor sites are the Great Mosque, the Mkutini Palace and some remarkable ruins.

Inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger: 2004. There is a serious rapid deterioration of the archaeological and monumental heritage of these two islands due to various agents like erosion and vegetation. The eastern section of the Palace of Husuni Kubwa is progressively disappearing. The damage to the soil caused by rainwater wash is accentuating the risks of collapse of the remaining structures on the edge of the cliff. The vegetation that proliferates on the cliff has limited the progression of the rain-wash effect, but causes the break-up of the masonry structures. The World Monuments Fund included Kilwa on its 2008 Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites because of the threat of climate change to the site.

No record has been found regarding Songo Mnara. There are mangrove covered ruins of five mosques presumed of 14th and 15th centuries on the island.

[edit] Tourism

The town is located within the Kilwa District of the Lindi Region.

It is possible to visit the island of Ki Kisiwani and see the remains. The coastal town of Kilwa Masoko can be reached by bus from Dar Es Salaam, and is served by Coastal Aviation. There are numerous basic guesthouses and at least two tourist hotels there. Kilwa Masoko is also served A permit is needed to visit Kisiwani itself, and can be easily obtained from the local government building on the main road in Kilwa Masoko. Once the permit has been obtained it's easy to arrange dhow transport over the narrow channel to Kisiwani. There are information boards installed near all the remains, labeling the various features (in Kiswahili) and it should be easy to find them all alone.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Dunn, Ross E. (2005), The Adventures of Ibn Battuta, University of California Press, ISBN 0-520-24385-4 . First published in 1986, ISBN 0-520-05771-6.

[edit] Further reading

• Chittick, H. Neville (1974), Kilwa: an Islamic trading city on the East African coast (2 Vols), Nairobi: British Institute in Eastern Africa . Volume 1: History and archaeology; Volume 2: The finds.

[edit] External links

• Kilwa Kisiwani Site Page from the Aluka Digital Library
• World Monuments Fund Watch Page for Kilwa

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v • d • e World Heritage Sites in Tanzania Kilimanjaro National Park · Kondoa Rock Art Sites · Ngorongoro Conservation Area · Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara · Selous Game Reserve · Serengeti National Park · Stone Town of Zanzibar

Coordinates: 8°57′28″S 39°31′22″E / 8.95778°S 39.52278°E / -8.95778; 39.52278