2008-11-02 11:23:11
By Correspondent Edwin Agola just back from Kilwa
In the
coastal area of southern Tanzania, a commonly told story goes
like this: `When the Arabs conquered the Portuguese in the 19th
Century and asked the local people of their opinion about the
Portuguese, they replied kerwa` - a Kiswahili word that if
roughly translated means �annoyed�.
Apparently because the Arabs were unable to pronounce the `e` in
the word, they ended up with their own version - Kilwa. So,
Kilwa road in Dar es Salaam, Kilwa district, Kilwa Masoko, Kilwa
Kivinje, Kilwa Kisiwani and other names starting with `Kilwa`
can be traced back to `kerwa`.
Kilwa is among the oldest towns on the East African coast.
Speaking to The Guardian on Sunday recently Ali Mohamed Mtopa,
82, said: ``Kilwa Kisiwani was one of the most famous trading
ports in East Africa.
In the 9th Century, a local Swahili wealthy man sold the island
to a trader, Ali bin Al-Hasan, the founder of Shiraz Dynasty.
``From the 11th Century to the early15th Ali bin Al-Hasan
created a powerful city (Kilwa Kisiwani), a big trading centre
along the coast, built a great mosque and established trade
links with the interior of southern Africa such as Malawi
(former Nyasaland) and Zimbabwe.``
A principle port on the Indian Ocean, Kilwa traded in gold and
iron from Great Zimbabwe and other parts of southern Africa as
well as ivory and slaves from what is today Mainland Tanzania.
In exchange, traders from Kilwa used textiles, jewelry,
porcelain and spices from Asia.
By the 13th Century, it had become the most powerful city on the
East African Coast, exercising political and trading domination
as far as Pemba Island in the north and Sofala (the modern Beira
in Mozambique) in south. Kilwa has an offshore location and
tidal currents isolate it from the Mainland.
The rest of the world came to know Kilwa through a Morocc in
1331while Portuguese sailors arrived there 170 years later.
These travellers are credited with much of Kilwa`s Written
History that is about life, wealth and powerful trade control on
the East African Coast.
``When Abu Abdullah Ibn Batuta, arrived he found the city large
and elegant, its buildings - typical along the coast - were
constructed of stone and coral rag,`` he told The Guardian on
Sunday, narrating that the houses were generally single story
buildings, consisting of several small rooms separated by thick
walls supporting heavy stone roofing slabs laid across mangrove
poles.
More formidable structures had second and third storeys, many of
which were embellished with cut stone decorative borders framing
the entrance way.
Tapestries and ornamental niches covered the walls and the
floors were carpeted.
Of course, such apartments were only for the wealthy; the poorer
classes occupied the timeless mud and straw huts of Africa.
``Their robs, a simple loincloth, their dinner menu millet
porridge`` (Ibn Batuta)
By the late 15th Century Kilwa\'s fortunes changed.
The Portuguese conquered the island after one of their explorers
Pedro Alvares Cabral Kilwa, had arrived on the island and
reported seeing beautiful houses made of coral stones and
terraces of `black moors` as Vasco da Gama called it when he
passed at the island.
The Portuguese established a full control of the island with the
intention of taking absolute control of the lucrative Indian
Ocean trade.
They built a garrison and established a strong trading post with
Sofala.
To date the island has managed to preserve much of the scenery
that attracted Ibn Batuta, Pedro Alvares Cabral and Vasco da
Gama.
To preserve the beauty, UNESCO declared Kilwa a World Heritage
Site in 1981.
The island is separated from the Mainland by a there-
kilometer-wide channel.
Among the medieval rains visitors are likely to see in Kilwa
are:
� The Mosque (at the time) was considered the largest along the
East African Coast. It has domed chambers, monolithic pillars,
water tanks and slabs for prayers.
� Great House, which is believed to be the house of Imam or
Sultan.
� Small Domed Mosque, the best preserved and most ornamental in
Kilwa.
� Mkutini Palace, built with great walls triangular in shape
� Gereza (prison) built by the Portuguese, dominates the view of
the island from far.
� The remarkable ruin, however, is the Husuni Kubwa overlooking
Kilwa port. Early writers said �it was the largest pre -European
building in equatorial Africa.�
The writer is a BA in Mass Communication undergraduate student
at the St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) in Mwanza.
robert2roma@yahoo.co.uk
·
SOURCE:
Sunday Observer
