The name Zanzibar derives from the Zanzibar Archipelago, which consists of the main islands of Unguja (Zanzibar) and Pemba. Zanzibar comes from the Persian word Zangi-bar, meaning “Coast of the Blacks.” The island has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era, with stone tool findings confirming human settlements dating back at least 22,000 years. Around 2500 BC, glass beads originating from the coasts of the Indian Ocean were found—evidence of an early trade network.
The first documented inhabitants were Bantu farmers who migrated from the mainland. They built mud huts and established the first villages. Due to their lack of political unity and central organization, they were easily dominated by foreign invaders.
Trade routes existed as early as the time of the Assyrians and Sumerians. Later, in the 1st century BC, merchants from Yemen, Persia, and India arrived. In the 6th century AD, Somali travelers introduced Islam, which today is practiced by 98% of Zanzibar’s population.
In the 11th and 12th centuries, some merchants settled on the island, using it as a base for trade with the East African coast. A protected harbor was constructed, and a small city—Stone Town—was built using stones imported from the Great Lakes region. Trade goods included gold, ivory, and slaves. Kiswahili, the Bantu language with about 30% Arabic vocabulary, developed as a means of communication between Arab traders and Bantu-speaking slaves.
When Vasco da Gama arrived in 1499, he found a functioning trade network in place. Zanzibar became a tribute-paying entity and remained under Portuguese rule for almost 200 years.
In 1698, Zanzibar fell under the control of the Sultan of Oman, who established an Arab ruling elite and a subordinate class of Bantu people. The spice plantations, trade in ivory, and the flourishing slave trade made Zanzibar a well-known trade hub.
The Sultan controlled trade from the Great Lakes region to the coast and the Zanzibar Archipelago. The harbor, the former customs area of Forodhani, the palaces and markets, as well as the townhouses of wealthy Arab and Indian traders, still stand as testimony to this era. In 1890, Zanzibar became a British protectorate, which officially abolished the slave trade, although it continued unofficially under the Sultan until the early 20th century. Today, an Anglican church and a fascinating museum stand at the site of the former slave market.
Zanzibar gained independence from Britain in 1963 as a separate colony, and after the bloody revolution of 1964, it became the People’s Republic of Zanzibar, an autonomous region of Tanganyika, now Tanzania.
The Zanzibar Archipelago consists of the islands of Unguja and Pemba, as well as smaller islets. The larger, southern island of Unguja is often referred to simply as Zanzibar.
Zanzibar separated from the African continent about 3 million years ago, much later than its sister island, Pemba. This geological split allowed the flora and fauna on each island to evolve independently.
The coasts are lined with flat coral stone, covered inland by red soil. Coconut palms and other tropical plants characterize the pristine, white sandy beaches. A variety of birds, small mammals, and marine life populate Zanzibar’s ecosystems.
The climate is tropical and humid, with rain occurring during the “short rains” between October and November, in light, scattered showers. The “long rains” occur between March and May, with larger downpours, although climate change has made weather predictions more unpredictable.
The monsoon winds from the east have shaped Zanzibar’s trade history, with seafaring merchants from southern Arabia using the Indian Ocean for trade routes, a history that still strongly influences the island’s culture.
Zanzibar’s fauna and geology reveal the island’s past connection to the African continent during the last Ice Age. The red colobus monkey, one of Africa’s rarest species, is endemic to the island. Around a third of its population lives in and around the Jozani Forest, Zanzibar’s oldest national park. This park is open to visitors and is a popular destination.
For a long time, the Zanzibar leopard was thought to be extinct, but it was rediscovered in 2018 with the help of a camera trap. The Zanzibar servaline genet, a type of wildcat, was also identified in 2003 using a wildlife camera.
A visit to the Jozani Forest takes you to the border between tropical rainforest and mangrove thickets, home to many bird and butterfly species. The not-so-shy colobus monkeys and Sykes monkeys, a species of vervet, can be observed up close.
The Zanzibar tree hyrax, resembling a guinea pig, is rarely seen due to its nocturnal and solitary nature.
Bush babies, small nocturnal primates from the Galago family, reach only about 20 cm in size without their tails. By day, they sleep in tree hollows and nests. At night, they forage for insects and fruits, and you may spot them in the gardens of SeVi Boutique Hotel.
Zanzibar is home to several marine parks, protected for their biodiversity.
The Mnemba Marine Park is located off the northeastern coast of the island, near our hotel. The park stretches 7 by 5 kilometers and is an oval-shaped coral atoll. The island in the center is privately owned and is off-limits. The atoll, popular with divers and snorkelers, is home to a wide variety of coral and over 600 species of coral reef fish.
The green sea turtle is commonly spotted here, and rarer species include the endangered loggerhead turtle, leatherback turtle, and the olive ridley turtle.
Schools of bottle-nose dolphins often approach people and invite them to swim together.
Between August and September, whales pass through the area, and from the hotel, you can see their misty breath spouts, reaching up to 8 meters in the air.
Underwater, you can frequently spot octopuses, red lionfish, rays, trumpetfish, moray eels, octopus, and many seahorses.
PO Box 4749
Matemwe Kigomani
Sansibar, Tansania
