SEYCHELLES
Best Website for Visitors
Click on the link below
Best WEBSITE for Visitors
Also check links at the bottom of this page.
= = = = = = = = =
ENJOY SOME GOOD MEMORIES ON THE FOLLOWING LINKS BELOW
There are many who have childhood memories of living in Zanzibar in the 1950s and 1960s. It was a different world then. This is an attempt to record stories of that world as well as interesting historical accounts of the islands.
Best Website for Visitors
Click on the link below
Best WEBSITE for Visitors
Also check links at the bottom of this page.
= = = = = = = = =
ENJOY SOME GOOD MEMORIES ON THE FOLLOWING LINKS BELOW
There are many who have childhood memories of living in Zanzibar in the 1950s and 1960s. It was a different world then. This is an attempt to record stories of that world as well as interesting historical accounts of the islands.
Zanzibar Stories and History
WHY ZANZIBAR MUST PROTECT STONE TOWN
Zanzibar
Stories & History
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
A great fleet of dhows rode at anchor for 3-4 months
of the year in the harbour of Zanzibar in the early 1960s. As a child, I
marvelled at them, they were the biggest wooden boats that I had ever seen. We
sailed past them with our dingy taking in their strangeness and gazing at their
vast solidness in awe.
These were vessels of the wild open sea. Festooned
with ropes made of sisal, their masts slanted at an angle, they spoke of
journeys by men who knew the sea like no others. Sometimes I would see lithe
dark sailors shimming up the masts with their bare feet. We always complained
about the smell of the dhow fleet. Later I learnt that they used fish oil to
season the wood. Aging fish oil is not recommended for its smell.
Off the stern of the boat hung a large box, big
enough for a person to sit in. It had a hole in the bottom and we knew it was
the toilet also called the thunder-box. Strange inscriptions and twirling
designs were carved as decorations along the hull and over the stern hung the
plain red flag of the Sultans of Zanzibar. On their prow would hang an oculus
or talisman. The oculus is the ‘eye’ of the boat and was often in the form of a
brightly painted eye, rather like a Cyclops eye from Greece. No human or animal
replications were portrayed - as the Koran dictates.
I knew that this dhow fleet plied an ancient
triangular route, from India to the Arabian Gulf and then on to the East
African coast. India was the connection to those fabulous trading countries
even further east. From ancient times the monsoon winds had made this route
feasible and as boats become more sophisticated its importance grew. The
monsoon winds were not reliable further south than Zanzibar and our harbour,
tucked into the western coast of the island, was very protected when the
northern monsoon was blowing.
The Arab dhow captains were superb seamen. In 1939,
Australian adventurer, Alan Vickers, travelled on a dhow from Aden to Zanzibar
and back. In his book, ‘Sons of Sinbad’ he recounts how he found a nakhoda or
captain of a boum dhow and arranged his passage south with the north-east
monsoon on a boat called The Triumph of Righteousness.
Alan believed he was living through the last days of
sail. He tells of the journey and it is a window into the past. With western
eyes he found the filth the accumulated on the overcrowded main deck difficult
to stomach but recognised that these sailors were tough men:
‘the constantly cramped quarters, the crowds, the
wretched food, the exposure to the elements, the daylong burning sun, the
nightlong heavy dews, if they continued to be disadvantages, were far offset by
the interest of being there….’
You were always aware of the monsoon in Zanzibar.
There was no summer and winter on the islands. It was one monsoon or the other
or the time in-between when the rains came. The northern monsoon blows from
late November to February and the long rains, or masika, come in March as the
winds become variable. If you were a girl child born during the rains, you
might be called Masika – born in the time of the rains.
April is the start of the south-west monsoon. This
wind is more violent during the months of June and July so the boats leave with
the first winds or stay to the last weeks of the monsoon. It was hard to get
insurance for your boat if you left during June and July when many seasoned
dhow captains would stay put in a safe harbour. By late September the winds
become variable again and Zanzibar experiences the short rains or vuli. Monsoon
is a word that English has copied from Arabic.
They were not called the ‘trade winds’ for nothing.
Zanzibar was a trading nation, perfectly positioned and blessed with the richness
of its spices and the produce of the African hinterland. In the 1800s when
Zanzibar was the centre of a maritime commercial empire, the cargo used to be
gold, gum copal, ivory and slaves. In my days it was spices, predominantly
cloves, mangrove poles, Persian carpets, dates and dried fish that plied its
way to and from Arabia. In the narrow streets of Zanzibar’s Stonetown could be
found a cornucopia of riches. Small open fronted shops or dukas were filled
with wares from east and west. The shopkeeper sat cross-legged at the shop
front on the elevated concrete ledge talking to his neighbours. On the main
street were the gold and silver merchants with worked semi-precious stones from
Ceylon and India.
My father wanted to buy some Persian carpets directly
from a dhow captain so he put out the word and a little while after the dhow
fleet arrived from the Gulf my mother and he went on board to view the cargo.
They discussed the weather and the health of their families until much strong
sweet coffee or kahawa had been imbibed and general pleasantries had been
exhausted.
‘The red dust of the desert was still in the
carpets,’ my father said, ‘each one that they brought up from the hold seemed
more beautiful than the one before. It was impossible to choose!’
The dhow fleet were intrinsic to the old Zanzibar,
when the Omani Sultans ruled and controlled the east African shores. When
Sultan Said bin Sultan of Oman and Muscat had moved his capital to Zanzibar in
1840, he travelled with his fleet of dhows to take possession. His family would
rule Zanzibar till 1963 and the revolution that ousted the newly independent
Zanzibar. Sultan Jamshid escaped while many other Arab Zanzibaris did not.
Survivors tell of how many Arab people were forced to embark on overloaded and
under provisioned dhows and sent to sea. The revolutionaries wanted them to go
back to Arabia. Some of those dhows did not survive the trip.
Recently someone told me of a story he had heard
while travelling down the East African coast 50 years ago. The first mate of a
large cargo boat woke the captain early one morning and asked him to get to the
bridge urgently.
‘Look,’ he said, ‘look at our bow!’ There over the
bow was draped a huge sail. Both realised what it was: the tremendous
triangular sail of a dhow.
‘Get if off, quickly,’ the captain replied, ‘Throw
it away’.
The cargo boat had ploughed down a dhow in the
night. They did not turn around to see if they could find any survivors
clinging to bits of wooden hull. It was just one more hazard of the open sea.
Some dhows have been converted to motor and still
trade along East Africa. Still trading and still involved in smuggling. But the
ancient stories of the dhow captains’ bravery and seamanship are lost to us.
The great fleet under sail travels no more. The beauty of the lateen sails on
the horizon with the monsoon behind them is now a mirage from history.
arabian gulf, dhows, Indian Ocean, kaskazi, monsoon, Oman, omani sultans, Stonetown, Sultans of Zanzibar, Zanzibar
ZANZIBAR SOME YEARS AGO
13-January-2015
ZANZIBAR SOME YEARS AGO
Recommended & Related sites
Zanzibar Unveiled Zanzibar Recollections
Aldabra expedition set to resume
13-January-2015
The long overdue expedition to Aldabra will finally be taking place in February/March 2015.
However, the expedition will be on the go only if 10 passengers confirm their presence as the costs of the trip is expensive. The Maya's Dugong has seven large air-conditioned ensuite cabins and there will be a maximum number of 14 passengers for this trip.
People who are thinking of joining this expedition should keep in mind that the nights on the boat are not friendly to light-sleepers, as the engine makes a lot of noise. In any case, this is not a leisure cruise but an expedition! But you have a unique opportunity to be part of it.
The price per person is around US $10,000, plus national park and landing fees.
The rate includes the cruise, full board accomodation, snorkelling and fishing gear, use of kayaks, snorkelling equipment (PADI instructor and diving are included) and the local return flight back to Mahé.
The rate does not include: International flights to/from Mahé, the SIF/IDC impact fees, beverages (payable onboard), diving equipment rental and personal expenses.
The programme for the expedition is as follows:
Day 1 – Assumption: A two-hour flight from the main island of Mahé brings you to Assumption Island, where passengers will embark aboard the ship. During the afternoon the passengers will get the chance to go diving at Assumption, and later guests will be briefed about the week’s itinerary, before enjoying a welcome BBQ onboard in the evening.
Day 2 – Aldabra: The morning will be mostly filled with sailing to the World Heritage Site of Aldabra, the world’s largest raised coral atoll. Depending on sea conditions there may be a rare opportunity to observe whales near either island along the way. In addition, there will be a visit to the Aldabra research station, along with the opportunity to dive and snorkel the West Channel. Many of the endemic land birds can be seen ashore, including Aldabra Drongo, Aldabra Fody and Madagascar Sacred Ibis and Aldabra Rail, together with the world's largest population of giant tortoises.
Day 3 – Aldabra: The third day features diving and visiting the main channel of Aldabra, experiencing the excitement of being swept along by the shoals, observing both pelagic and reef fish in the shallow waters of the lagoon. Furthermore there will be a visit to the mangroves forest and the channel. In the afternoon the passengers will visit the Booby colony at Johnny channel and the world’s second largest colony of frigate birds (10,000 pairs of two species, Great Frigate bird and Lesser Frigate bird) and snorkel at the mangroves forest and the channel in high tide.
Day 4 – Aldabra: The day will include a visit to Aldabra’s East Channel and an evening sail towards Cosmoledo.
Day 5 – Cosmoledo: The passengers will get a chance to visit the deserted settlement and dive the west island of Cosmoledo (Menai) where turtles abound. A race of Madagascar White-eye (named menaienis) is unique to the island.
Day 6 – Cosmoledo: The day will include visiting, diving and snorkelling the north island where colonies of boobies of three species (Red-footed, Brown and Masked) are nesting and underwater walls are home to diverse marine life.
Day 7 – Astove: This will feature an early morning cruise towards Astove, a visit to the abandoned settlement including the Veevers-Carter house and old chapel, then crossing the island to the lagoon and diving the west walls followed by an Evening cruise towards Assumption.
Day 8 – Assumption: The last day includes an early morning arrival to Assumption followed by disembarkation and flight to Mahé.
However, the expedition will be on the go only if 10 passengers confirm their presence as the costs of the trip is expensive. The Maya's Dugong has seven large air-conditioned ensuite cabins and there will be a maximum number of 14 passengers for this trip.
People who are thinking of joining this expedition should keep in mind that the nights on the boat are not friendly to light-sleepers, as the engine makes a lot of noise. In any case, this is not a leisure cruise but an expedition! But you have a unique opportunity to be part of it.
The price per person is around US $10,000, plus national park and landing fees.
The rate includes the cruise, full board accomodation, snorkelling and fishing gear, use of kayaks, snorkelling equipment (PADI instructor and diving are included) and the local return flight back to Mahé.
The rate does not include: International flights to/from Mahé, the SIF/IDC impact fees, beverages (payable onboard), diving equipment rental and personal expenses.
The programme for the expedition is as follows:
Day 1 – Assumption: A two-hour flight from the main island of Mahé brings you to Assumption Island, where passengers will embark aboard the ship. During the afternoon the passengers will get the chance to go diving at Assumption, and later guests will be briefed about the week’s itinerary, before enjoying a welcome BBQ onboard in the evening.
Day 2 – Aldabra: The morning will be mostly filled with sailing to the World Heritage Site of Aldabra, the world’s largest raised coral atoll. Depending on sea conditions there may be a rare opportunity to observe whales near either island along the way. In addition, there will be a visit to the Aldabra research station, along with the opportunity to dive and snorkel the West Channel. Many of the endemic land birds can be seen ashore, including Aldabra Drongo, Aldabra Fody and Madagascar Sacred Ibis and Aldabra Rail, together with the world's largest population of giant tortoises.
Day 3 – Aldabra: The third day features diving and visiting the main channel of Aldabra, experiencing the excitement of being swept along by the shoals, observing both pelagic and reef fish in the shallow waters of the lagoon. Furthermore there will be a visit to the mangroves forest and the channel. In the afternoon the passengers will visit the Booby colony at Johnny channel and the world’s second largest colony of frigate birds (10,000 pairs of two species, Great Frigate bird and Lesser Frigate bird) and snorkel at the mangroves forest and the channel in high tide.
Day 4 – Aldabra: The day will include a visit to Aldabra’s East Channel and an evening sail towards Cosmoledo.
Day 5 – Cosmoledo: The passengers will get a chance to visit the deserted settlement and dive the west island of Cosmoledo (Menai) where turtles abound. A race of Madagascar White-eye (named menaienis) is unique to the island.
Day 6 – Cosmoledo: The day will include visiting, diving and snorkelling the north island where colonies of boobies of three species (Red-footed, Brown and Masked) are nesting and underwater walls are home to diverse marine life.
Day 7 – Astove: This will feature an early morning cruise towards Astove, a visit to the abandoned settlement including the Veevers-Carter house and old chapel, then crossing the island to the lagoon and diving the west walls followed by an Evening cruise towards Assumption.
Day 8 – Assumption: The last day includes an early morning arrival to Assumption followed by disembarkation and flight to Mahé.
