"Slave Trade capital and Spice Island of... " a Zanzibar Island Travel Page by Acirfa

Zanzibar has had it's share of adventurers (Livingston, Stanley and the like) as well as having been the occupied by the Brits, Portuguese and particularly the Omani Arabs and Persians Shirazi people who ruled at different times.

The Arabs arrived circa the 8th century and traded in ivory, slaves and spices turning the island into a rich island. The slave and spice trade depended on one another as the slaves were used in the maintenance of the spice fields.

The Arabs did not intermarry with the Africans, however, this was not true of the Shirazi people. These people did and that was the beginnings of the Coastal people who were given the Arab name of Swahilis (meaning coast), they were a distinctive tribe who spoke Kiswahili, a mix of Bantu and Arabic. These people did not involve themselves in the lucrative trades of the Arabs from Oman, they preferred to farm the land and fish.

Zanzibar was also once one of the most important docks in Africa, goods were dropped here from Britain for distribution to other parts of the continent.

No longer a wealthy island, Zanzibar relies on it's main it's history and beautiful north side beaches to bring in the tourists, a huge source of income for them.

The island has plenty of historical monuments to visit which commemorate the African, British and particularly Arab influences- sultan's palaces, cathedrals, mosques, fortresses and old colonial houses.

Zanzibar is located just off of the Tanzanian mainland and belongs to this country. It is made up of many islands, the major ones being Unguja or popularly known as Zanzibar and Pemba.

LANGUAGE
The main language is Kiswahili. Even if you only use a few words whilst you are in Zanzibar you will make many friends. The people speak English and many also speak Arabic too.