Ancient Ruins Of Kilwa Kisiwani And Songo Mnara: Great African Ports Long Abandoned And Forgotten
A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - In ancient times, Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnar were two great African ports located on two islands close to each other just off the Tanzanian coast about 300km south of Dar es Salaam.
From the 13th to the 16th century, the merchants of Kilwa dealt in gold, silver, pearls, perfumes, Arabian crockery, Persian earthenware and Chinese porcelain.
Historical documents such as the Kilwa Chronicle report that the city began to thrive under the founding Shirazi dynasty of sultans.
The Kilwa Chronicle is the name of a collected genealogy of the sultans who ruled the Swahili culture from Kilwa. Two texts, one in Arabic and one in Portuguese, were written in the early 1500s, and together they provide a glimpse into the history of the Swahili coast, with particular emphasis on that of Kilwa Kisiwani and its sultans of the Shirazi dynasty.
According to local historians, the island was settled in the 11th century by Ali bin Al-Hasan of Persia, who ruled over the island for 40 years. The dynasty he founded was credited with having established Kilwa as a significant trade centre. Over the next two centuries, various successors ruled and were overthrown, but they built impressive coral-stone houses and lavish mosques – the remains of which can still be seen today.
In 1331-1332, the great traveler, Ibn Battouta made a stop here and described Kilwa as one of the most beautiful cities of the world.
The prosperity of the port city remained intact until the last decades of the 14th century, when turmoil over the ravages of the Black Death took its toll on international trade.
In 1505, the Portuguese took over the coastline and assumed control of Kilwa Kisiwani. They killed the majority of the residents and replaced the Arab palaces with forts and the decline of the two islands began. Today, a small number of local fishermen live on the island, but for the most part it is an abandoned city filled with crumbling mosques, remnants of once glorious palaces, and ancient tombs.
See also:
Africa’s Secrets: Unsolved Mystery Of Gedi Ruins Protected By The ‘Old Ones’ – Why Did People Leave?
Great Ruins of Zimbabwe: Unsolved Secrets Of Bizarre Buildings Without Windows And Doors
The archaeological excavations at Kilwa recovered the most Chinese goods of any Swahili town, including a profusion of Chinese coins.
Nevertheless, the remains of Kilwa Kisiwani cover much of the island with many parts of the city still unexcavated.
The ruins of Songo Mnara, at the northern end of the island, consist of the remains of five mosques, a palace complex, and some thirty-three domestic dwellings constructed of coral stones and wood within enclosing walls.
The islands of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara bear exceptional testimony to the expansion of Swahili coastal culture, the lslamisation of East Africa and the extraordinarily extensive and prosperous Indian Ocean trade from the medieval period up to the modern era.
We still know extremely little about these two ancient ports that were most important of about thirty-five Swahili Coast trading communities on the Indian Ocean during the 11th through 16th centuries AD.
Both Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara - NESCO World Heritage sites since 1981 - were magnificent ancient African cities destroyed by the Europeans.
Written by – A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer
Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
More From Ancient Pages
-
Child’s Play: Are Tibetan Hand And Foot Traces The Earliest Example Of Parietal Art?
Archaeology | Sep 18, 2021
-
Mystery Of The Lost Golden Chain Of Huayna Capac: Will The Ancient Inca Treasure Ever Be Found?
Artifacts | Dec 30, 2020
-
Torquetum: Sophisticated Medieval Astronomical Instrument
Ancient History Facts | Jul 12, 2018
-
Unexplained Visions Of Airmen – Controversial Investigation – Part 2
Featured Stories | Feb 9, 2020
-
Archaeologists And Historians Argue With Geneticists Over Controversial Viking DNA Study
Archaeology | Feb 24, 2017
-
Strange 1,000-Year-Old Artifact Melted Out Of The Ice Identified With Help Of Photo!
Archaeology | Jan 31, 2023
-
Beautiful Terracotta Figurine Collection Discovered In Myra, Antalya
Archaeology | Sep 29, 2020
-
Magnificent Chamber Graves Of Four Scandinavian Warriors Discovered In Poland – The Piast Dynasty In New Light
Archaeology | Jan 22, 2020
-
Mystery Of The Bloody Island Poveglia – A Place Of Hell In Ancient And Modern Times
Featured Stories | Jan 21, 2016
-
Proof That Neanderthals Ate Crabs 90,000 Years Ago Is Another ‘Nail In The Coffin’ For Primitive Cave Dweller Stereotypes
Archaeology | Feb 7, 2023
-
Mystery Of Unique 2,100-Year-Old Human Clay Head With A Ram’s Skull Inside
Archaeology | Apr 18, 2020
-
Scotland’s Mysterious Ballachulish Figure Could Be Cailleach Bheithir – Ancient Hag Goddess Of Winds And Storms
Artifacts | Nov 23, 2018
-
Widespread Literacy In Biblical-Period Kingdom Of Judah – Study Confirms
Archaeology | Sep 11, 2020
-
2,800-Year-Old Urartu Jars Uncovered In Eastern Turkey
Civilizations | Sep 9, 2015
-
Yungang Grottoes: Marvellous Example Of Ancient Buddhist Rock-Cut Architecture
Featured Stories | Sep 15, 2015
-
Secrets Of Mount Shasta – One Of The Most Sacred Places On Earth
Civilizations | Oct 24, 2015
-
Scientific ‘Detective Work’ With South American Mummies Reveals They Were Brutally Murdered
Archaeology | Sep 9, 2022
-
Skidi Pawnee Indians – One Of The Best Sky Watchers Of Ancient Times And Their Star Chart
Civilizations | Jul 5, 2014
-
Evidence Of Ancient Gigantic Tsunami That Struck Tel Dor Maritime City Mound, Israel
News | Jan 1, 2021
-
Non-Tobacco Plant Identified In Ancient Pipe Using New Technology
Archaeology | Jun 30, 2020