Kilwa Kisiwani World Heritage site
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KilwaKisiwani is the ancient Swahili state with
substantial standing ruins, built with coral and lime motar. The site is
located at 08057’29.29’’S and 39029’57.60’’E. The site
can only be accessed by boat. Obviously, it takes about 20 minute by engine
boat from Kilwa Masoko but takes more time when using dhows, depending on wind
speed.Historical and archeological research conducted at the area suggests that
the site was occupied from 9th c to 19thc, but reached
its prosperity during 13th and 14th C.
Although the first settlement to an area dates to
around 800AD, the area remained undistinguished until 13th C. It is
during this timeKilwa emerged as one of the most powerful settlements on the
Eastern African coast, ruled by sultans who managed the intercontinental trade
between the interior of Africa and the Indian Ocean world. At this point, KilwaKisiwani became an important
trade center linking East African coast, middle and Far East. As the center of
trade KilwaKisiwani became a powerful state controlling and dominated other
east African coastal town like sofala. Additionally, because of its economic
potentiality, by 11th c KilwaKisiwani minted its own coin. In 1331-1332, the great traveler IbinBattuotamade
a stop at Kilwa and described it as the one of most beautiful cities in the
world.
Although Kilwa Kisiwan is known as one of the most
emerged Swahili powerful state, its development was succumbed with development
two small town of SongoMnara and KilwaKivinje. The other factor contributed to
its decline includes invasion Sakalavas
pirates from Madagascar, and introduction of various taxes imposed by the
sultan to the inhabitant for land and all imported goods to the island.
Moreover, Sofala free itself from the island’s dominance, and early in 16th
C Kilwa came under the Portuguese control. It wasn’t until more than 200 years
later that Kilwa regain its power and became significant trading center for
slaves being shipped from inland to the island of Mauritius and Comoro. In
1978s, Kilwa came under the control of the Sultan of Oman. And, by the mid of
19th C the local ruler had succumbed the sultan of Zanzibar. Thus,
the regional trade wind changed to kilwakivinje. As a result, the island town
started to decline from which it never recovered.
The archeological investigation at Kilwakisiwani
began in 1955- when Dr. James Kirkman placed a trench across a seawall. In
1958, Neville Chittick conducted a small scale excavation at the site.
Subsequent to his work, while working with British institute of Eastern Africa,
he undertakes large scale excavation from 1961-1966. Following his research
output, various scholars have been conducting archeological research at the
area which enabled us to understand the development of Swahili cultural along
the east African coast.
To date, Kilwa Kisiwani has provided exceptional
testimony of expansion of Swahili culture in the East African Coast. It
provides outstanding architectural, archaeological and documentary evidence for
the growth of Swahili culture and commerce along the East African coast from
the 9th to the 19th centuries, offering important insights regarding economic,
social and political dynamics of the east African coast. Moreover, the built
heritage of KilwaKisiwani and material recovered from archaeological excavation
has revealed extensive information about Swahili techno-complex and prosperous
Indian Ocean from the medieval period up to the modern error.
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