ruins of kilwa kisiwani and ruins of songo mnara

8/11/2019 Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara

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Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani andRuins of Songo Mnara

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Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara

The remains of two great East African ports admired by early European explorers are

situated on two small islands near the coast. From the !th to the "th century# the

merchants of Kilwa dealt in gold# sil$er# pearls# perfumes# Arabian croc%ery# &ersianearthenware and 'hinese porcelain( much of the trade in the )ndian *cean thus passed

through their hands.

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Songo Mnara - /ES'*

*utstanding ni$ersal 0alue

1rief synthesis

2ocated on two islands close to each other 3ust off the Tan4anian coast about !55%m southof ,ar es Salaam are the remains of two port cites# Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara. The

larger# Kilwa Kisiwani#was occupied from the 6th to the 6th century and reached its pea% of

prosperity in the!th and 7th centuries. )n !!8!!9# the great tra$eler# )bn 1attouta made

a stop here and described Kilwa as one of the most beautiful cities of the world.

Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara were Swahili trading cities and their prosperity was based

on control of )ndian *cean trade with Arabia# )ndia and 'hina# particularly between the !th

and "th centuries# when gold and i$ory from the hinterland was traded for sil$er# carnelians#

perfumes# &ersian faience and 'hinese porcelain. Kilwa Kisiwani minted its own currency in

the th to 7th centuries. )n the "th century# the &ortuguese established a fort on Kilwa

Kisiwani and the decline of the two islands began.The remains of Kilwa Kisiwani co$er much of the island with many parts of the city still

unexca$ated. The substantial standing ruins# built of coral and lime mortar# include the :reat

Mos;ue constructed in the th century and considerably enlarged in the !th century# and

roofed entirely with domes and $aults# some decorated with embedded 'hinese porcelain(

the palace


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&ortuguese fort and an entire urban complex with houses# public s;uares# burial grounds#

etc.

The ruins of Songo Mnara# at the northern end of the island# consist of the remains of fi$e

mos;ues# a palace complex# and some thirty8three 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 extensi$e

and prosperous )ndian *cean trade from the medie$al period up to the modern era.

Criterion (iii):Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara pro$ide exceptional architectural#

archaeological and documentary e$idence for the growth of Swahili culture and commerce

along the East African coast from the 6th to the 6th centuries# offering important insights

regarding economic# social and political dynamics in this region.

The :reat Mos;ue of Kilwa Kisiwani is the oldest standing mos;ue on the East African coast

and# with its sixteen domed and $aulted bays# has a uni;ue plan. )ts true great dome dating

from the !th was the largest dome in East Africa until the 6th century.

)ntegrity =955>The %ey attributes con$eying outstanding uni$ersal $alue are found on the islands of Kilwa

Kisiwani and Songo Mnara. # Anti;uities 2aw =the Anti;uities Act of 6"7 and its Amendment of 6B6> and

established Rules and Regulations. 1oth the Anti;uities laws and regulations are currently

being re$iewed.


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The property is administered under the authority of the Anti;uities ,i$ision. A site

Managerand Assistant 'onser$ators are responsible for the management of the sites. A

Management &lan was established in 9557 and is currently under re$ision. Key management

issues include climate change impact due to increased wa$eaction and beach erosion(

encroachment on the site by humans and animals =cattle and goats>( an inade;uate

conser$ation programme for all the monuments# and inade;uate community participation

and awarenessof associated benefits.

2ong term ma3or threats to the site will be addressed and mechanisms for in$ol$ement of the

community and other sta%eholders will be employed to ensure the sustainable conser$ation

and continuity of the site. There is a need for better 4oning of the property for planning in

order to ensure de$elopment and agricultural uses do not impact ad$ersely on the structures

and buried archaeology.

2ong ,escription

Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara are two archaeological sites of prime importance to the

understanding of the Swahili culture# the )slami4ation of the east coast of Africa and the

extensi$e commerce of the medie$al period and the modern era. These are islands# situated

close to each other# off the Tan4anian coast. *n each island a complex of ruins has been

preser$ed# but those of Kilwa Kisiwani are by far the most important.

The site has been occupied from the 6th to 6th centuries and reached its pea% in the !th

and 7th centuries. Among the many monuments these are some of the most importantC

The $estiges of the :reat Mos;ue# constructed in the 9th century of coral tiles

imbedded in a core of puddled clay# but considerably enlarged in the Dth century in the

reign of Sultan Soulaiman ibn Mohammed el Mali% el Adil =79899>.

The remains of the