Swahili, also known by its native name Kiswahili, is a Bantu language and the native language of the Swahili people native primarily to Tanzania. Due to concerted efforts by the government of Tanzania, Swahili is one of three official languages of the East African Community (EAC) countries, namely Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. It is a lingua franca of other areas in the African Great Lakes region and East and Southern Africa, including some parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Malawi, Mozambique, the southern tip of Somalia, and Zambia. Swahili is also one of the working languages of the African Union and of the Southern African Development Community. The number of Swahili speakers, be they native or second-language speakers, is estimated to be approximately 200 million.
Kilwa Kisiwani is an island, national historic site, and hamlet community located in the township of Kilwa Masoko, the district seat of Kilwa District in the Tanzanian region of Lindi Region in southern Tanzania. Kilwa Kisiwani is the largest of the nine hamlets in the town Kilwa Masoko and is also the least populated hamlet in the township with less than 1,000 residents. At its peak Kilwa hosted over 10,000 inhabitants in the Middle Ages. Since 1981 the entire island of Kilwa Kisiwani has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site along with the nearby ruins of Songo Mnara. Despite its significant historic reputation, Kilwa Kisiwani is still home to a small and resilient community of native residents that have inhabited the island for centuries. Kilwa Kisiwani is one of the seven World Heritage Sites located in Tanzania.
The Swahili people comprised mainly Bantu, Afro-Arab and Comorian ethnic groups inhabiting the Swahili coast, an area encompassing the Zanzibar archipelago and mainland Tanzania's seaboard, littoral Kenya, northern Mozambique, the Comoros Islands, southwestern Somalia and Northwest Madagascar. The original Swahili distinguished themselves from other Bantu peoples by self-identifying as Waungwana. In certain regions, this differentiation is even more stratified in terms of societal grouping and dialect, hinting to the historical processes by which the Swahili have coalesced over time. More recently however, Swahili identity extends to any person of African descent who speaks Swahili as their first language, is Muslim and lives in a town on the main urban centres of most of modern day Tanzania and coastal Kenya, northern Mozambique and the Comoros, through a process of swahilization.
Zanj was a name used by medieval Muslim geographers to refer to both a certain portion of Southeast Africa and to its Bantu inhabitants. This word is also the origin of the place-names Zanzibar and the Sea of Zanj.
Kilwa is one of six administrative districts of Lindi Region in Tanzania. The District covers an area of 15,000 km2 (5,800 sq mi). Kilwa district is bordered to the north by Rufiji District in Pwani Region, to the east by the Indian Ocean, to the south by the Lindi District, Nachingwea District together with Ruangwa District, and to the west by the Liwale District. The district borders every other district in Lindi Region except Lindi Municipal District. The district seat (capital) is the town of Kilwa Masoko. The district is named after the medieval Swahili city state of Kilwa Kisiwani. According to the 2012 census, the district has a total population of 190,744.
Lindi District also known as Mtama District is one of six administrative districts of Lindi Region in Tanzania. The District covers an area of 5,975 km2 (2,307 sq mi). Kilwa district is bordered to the north by Kilwa District, to the east by the Indian Ocean and Lindi Municipal District, to the south by the Mtwara Region, and to the west by the Nachingwea District. The district seat (capital) is the town and ward of Mtama. The district is known for the Tendaguru Formation, the richest Late Jurassic strata of fossils in Africa. According to the 2012 census, the district has a total population of 191,143.
Kilwa Masoko or Masoko is an administrative ward in Kilwa District of Lindi Region in Tanzania. The ward covers an area of 200 km2 (77 sq mi), and has an average elevation of 11 m (36 ft). The ward is also the capital of Kilwa District. According to the 2012 census, the ward has a total population of 13,601.
The Tongoni Ruins are 15th century Swahili ruins of a mosque and forty tombs located in Tongoni ward in Tanga District inside Tanga Region of Tanzania. The area was a different place four to five centuries ago. Contrary to its almost unnoticed presence today, it was a prosperous and a respected Swahili trading centre during the 15th century. Most of the ruins are still not yet been uncovered.
Toten Island is a small uninhabited island situated north of the city of Tanga's harbour in Tanga Region, Tanzania. It is within the Tanga Bay. The island is administered by both the Tanzania Marine Parks and Reserves and the City of Tanga. The island is a historical site that contains ruins of two Medieval Swahili mosques and tombs. The current name comes from the German word for "dead bodies" alluding to the numerous graves on the island. Until 1854 Toten Island was still inhabited by people. In 1884 the remaining people moved to what is present day Tanga city.
Swahili architecture is a term used to designate a whole range of diverse building traditions practiced or once practiced along the eastern and southeastern coasts of Africa. Rather than simple derivatives of Islamic architecture from the Arabic world, Swahili stone architecture is a distinct local product as a result of evolving social and religious traditions, environmental changes, and urban development.
The Great Mosque of Kilwa is a congregational mosque on the island of Kilwa Kisiwani, in Kilwa Masoko in Kilwa District in Lindi Region of Tanzania. It was likely founded in the tenth century, but the two major stages of construction date to the eleventh or twelfth and thirteenth century, respectively. It is one of the earliest surviving mosques on the Swahili coast and is one of the first mosques built without a courtyard.
Islam is the most prominent religion on the semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago and could be considered the Islamic center in the United Republic of Tanzania. Around 98 percent of the population in the islands are Muslim, with the vast majority being Sunni Muslim with a minority Ibadi, Ismaili and Twelver Shia. Islam has a long presence on the islands, with archeological findings dating back to the 10th century, and has been an intrinsic part in shaping mercantile and maritime Swahili culture in Zanzibar as well as along the East African coast.
The Swahili coast is a coastal area of the Indian Ocean in East Africa inhabited by the Swahili people. It includes Sofala (Mozambique), Mombasa, Gede, Pate Island, Lamu, Malindi, and Kilwa. In addition, several coastal islands are included in the Swahili coast such as Zanzibar and Comoros.
The Shirazi people, also known as Mbwera, are an ethnic group inhabiting the Swahili coast and the nearby Indian ocean islands. They are particularly concentrated on the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and Comoros.
Songo Mnara is a historic Swahiili settlement in located on Songo Mnara Island in Pande Mikoma, Kilwa District in Lindi Region of Tanzania. The island is home to a Medieval Swahili stone town. The stone town was occupied from the 14th to 16th centuries. Songo Mnara has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with nearby stone town Kilwa Kisiwani. In total, archaeologists have found six mosques, four cemeteries, and two dozen house blocks along with three enclosed open spaces on the island. Songo Mnara was constructed from rough-coral and mortar. This stonetown was built as one of many trade towns on the Indian Ocean.
Stephanie Wynne-Jones is an Africanist archaeologist, whose research focuses on East African material culture, society and urbanism. She is Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of the Department of Archaeology at the University of York. She previously worked as Assistant Director of the British Institute in Eastern Africa (2005-2008) and remains a Trustee and Member of the BIEA Governing Council. In 2016, Wynne-Jones was elected to Fellowship of the Society of Antiquaries of London. Wynne-Jones is one of the Core Group at the Danish National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence in Urban Network Evolutions (Urbnet), Aarhus University. Between 2015 and 2017 she was a Pro Futura Scientia Fellow at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, Uppsala.
National Historic Sites of Tanzania is an official list of places in Tanzania that have been designated as National Historic Sites as per the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism of Tanzania under the Antiquities Division. The list is not complete and is currently being updated.
Yambe Island is protected, uninhabited historic island located directly east of the city of Tanga in Tanga Region, Tanzania. It is the largest island in Tanga region. It is located entirely with the Tanga Coelacanth Marine Park (TCMP). The island is administered by the Tanzania Marine Parks and Reserves. The island is also home to medieval Swahili ruins that have yet to be excavated.
Sanje ya Kati Island or Kati Island is an island located in Pande Mikoma ward in Kilwa District in Lindi Region of Tanzania's Indian Ocean coast. The island is home to a medival Swahili ruin of Sanje ya Kati. The island has an average elevation of 14 m (46 ft). The Island is the ancestral home of the Machinga people.
Kilwa Kivinje Historic Site is protected historic site located on Kilwa Kivinje ward in Kilwa District in Lindi Region of Tanzania's Indian Ocean coast. The site is home to medieval Swahili ruins and some surviving Swahili buildings from the late 19th century. The settlement is considered to be the refuge of the earlier inhabitants of Kilwa Kisiwani who had fled Vasco da Gama sacking of the city in 1505 and also absorbed more refugees fleeing the Madagascar pirates in 1822.
Tanzania 