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Did you know these facts about
Zanzibar? Zanzibar is
popularly known as the "spice islands.”
Zanzibar
is located about 30 K off the coast of mainland
Tanzania in the Indian Ocean. Zanzibar
is actually an archipelago with the two main
Islands of Zanzibar (also known as Unguja, the
larger one) and Pemba (the smaller of the two).
Zanzibar
was incorporated into the United Republic of
Tanzania in 1964. Zanzibar,
which in 1992 had only 723,300 people, does have
its own democratically elected president and
government that run the internal affairs of the
Islands. Zanzibar's
Serena Inn on the Stone Town waterfront is a
splendid example of the careful preservation of
historic buildings. This project undertaken by the
Aga Kahn Fund for Economic Development, owner and
manager of the Serena Hotels, involved the
restoration and
rehabilitation
of two historic buildings , the Old Extelcoms
Building and the Chinese Doctors'
Residence. Zanzibar
has the largest number of carved doors in East
Africa. Zanzibar's
Stone Town has 50 mosques and four Hindu
temples. The
House of Wonders is one of the first buildings in
East Africa to have electricity and Stone Town's
oldest existing building. In
1987, the Stone Town Conservation Authority was
created to provide strict guidelines for
architectural design and materials used in all
renovations of public and privately owned
buildings. Above
facts from Karen Hoffman's
Stone Town story
•
Zanzibar is the world's oldest functioning Swahili
city. •
Zanzibar has seen an influx from the British,
Dutch, Portuguese, Egyptian, Phoenicians,
Assyrians, Indians, Chinese, Persians, Arabs and
Sumerians at various times in its
history. Zanzibar
offers the visitor a variety of pristine beaches
and stunning coral reefs. Zanzibar's
Muslim worshippers, during daylight hours of
Ramadan lunar month, may not eat, drink, smoke or
have sex. Exempt only are the sick, young children
and travelers . The earliest
visitation to Zanzibar was in the 8th century, when
the Arab traders arrived. Zanzibar's oldest
remaining building is the 11th century mosque at
Kizimkazi . The name Swahili
comes from the Arab word sawahil which means
'coast'. Many
more facts and links to come.
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List
of interesting items in short form plus information
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