Zanzibar: Arab Influence in East Africa
By Evan Ploeckelman/Arab America Contributing Writer
Zanzibar is an island chain off the coast of modern Tanzania. The two biggest islands are Unguja, which is home to a majority of the population; and, the capital, Zanzibar City and Pemba. Modern Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous tropical region of Tanzania, and is famous mostly for its sandy beaches, clear blue waters, sunny weather, and spectacular resorts. However, it is a major historic center of trade between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, especially for Arab traders. In particular, Omani Arabs, during their rule of the island, have had a major impact on the government, language, and culture of modern Zanzibar. While this culture has diminished somewhat in recent decades, visitors can still see the impact that Arab culture had on the islands.
Early History of Zanzibar
Africans who came from the mainland were the original inhabitants of the islands. In the 10th century, Persian traders occupied the islands, absorbing themselves into the native population. This formed two ethnic groups, the Hadimu, and the Tumbatu. The Persians also introduced Islam to the islands. The name Zanzibar even comes from the Arabic word Zanjbar, which comes from Persian Zangbar, which means “black coast”. Today, native Zanzibari may refer to themselves as “Shirazi”, referencing the modern Iranian city of Shiraz (although this is disputed).
After the arrival of the Persians, Arab traders began making outposts on the islands as centers of commerce. Over time, the Arabs became the aristocracy on the islands. They often profited off of trading with the African mainland, especially through the slave trade. After the Portuguese conquered the African coast and Oman in the 16th century, the influence of Omani Arabs were strong.
Recent History of Zanzibar
The Omanis recaptured Zanzibar from the Portuguese in 1698. The sultan of Oman, Sa’id ibn Sultan, relocated the capital from Muscat to Zanzibar in 1832. The area was central to the Omani slave and ivory trade. In 1861, Zanzibar separated from Oman to become an independent sultanate. However, during the rule of Burghash ibn Sa’id from 1870-88, Zanzibar lost its mainland holdings to Germany and Great Britain. In 1890, the British placed a protectorate over Zanzibar, which reduced the powers of the sultan and stopped the slave trade.
While the sultans generally aligned with the British, Sultan Khalid bin Burghash was not. He ascended the throne on August 25th, 1896, and the British threatened war if he did not abdicate by 9:00 AM on August 27th. When Khalid refused, the British invaded Zanzibar in the shortest war in recorded history, the Anglo-Zanzibar war, which lasted around 38 minutes in total. After this, the British installed their own sultan, Hamud ibn Mohammed, and the islands remained a British protectorate.
In 1963, Zanzibar achieved independence from the British Empire, and the sultanate was reinstated. The following year, a majority African socialist group called the Afro-Shirazi party (ASP) overthrew the sultan, Jamshid bin Abdullah, and instated a republic headed by president Abeid Karume. At this point, native Africans were a majority on the islands. As a result of the fighting, roughly 20,00 people, mostly Arabs and Indians, were either killed or fled the islands. Later that year, the presidents of Tanganyika and Zanzibar unified the two nations, forming the modern nation of Tanzania.
Arab Influence on Modern Zanzibari Culture
Today, Arab influence on the islands is evident. Its major religion is Islam, with around 98.9% of the population practicing the religion. Arab cuisine, such as Harish, known in Zanzibar as Boko Boko, and dates are popular on the islands. Seafood dishes are also popular due to their maritime location.
Taarab music, created in the 1880s and inspired by Arab styles, as well as those from Africa and India, became popular due to musicians from Zanzibar. These include Siti Binti Saad, Bi Kidude, and many others. Taarab features ensembles of accordions, guitars, tabla drums, and qanuns. While it was on the decline in the 1990s, it has made somewhat of a resurgence in the past decade. Zanzibar hip-hop, also known as zenji flava, takes a lot of influence from Taarab music, and by extension Arabic music.
Due to the flight of Arabs after the revolution, there are very few Arabic speakers in Zanzibar like it once had in the past. The two predominant dialects spoken are Omani Arabic and Hadhrami (Eastern Yemeni) Arabic, which have mostly disappeared and only people of the older generation speak them today. However, because the islands are majority Muslim, many educated citizens know Quranic Arabic. Furthermore, formal Arabic and the Arabic dialects are historically spoken in Zanzibar and have influenced the dialect of Swahili, which is also spoken in Zanzibar.
What Remains of the Zanzibar Sultanate
The Sultan’s palace still stands in Stone Town, a historic area of Zanzibar City. The modern palace was built after the old palace, the Bait al-Sahel, was destroyed in the Anglo-Zanzibar war. In the Zanzibar revolution of 1964, the ASP captured it and renamed it the People’s Palace, and in 1994, it became a museum about the Zanzibari royal family. The surrounding Stone Town area has architecture that reflects the influence of the varying cultures that impacted Zanzibar, especially Arabs.
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