Imagining the glory of Kilwa Kisiwani: What if it had survived

 

By Saumu Jumanne

Summary

·         The demise of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara was a painful, significant, and unfortunate part of history

Building something great takes a lot of time, effort, and resources. Often it can be a difficult and painful

process. For example, for the average worker, building a house can take 5 to ten years. But to destroy it, one just needs less than a day. Building a career takes a lifetime, but someone at work can ruin it in a minute. For example, for a bank worker, high precaution is needed because if someone gets the password and if malicious try to do a fishy, s/he will destroy your career in a minute.

Destroying anything can cause a lot of pain and suffering for the affected people. Yes, we must value and protect the things we have built. Be it physical structures like buildings or intangible things like relationships. We should work to prevent destruction and damage whenever possible, as it makes the world a better place to everyone.

The other day, I was looking at the history of once a grand city, Kilwa Kisiwani City and Songo Mnara in the Southern Tanzania. Today, we talk of the Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and the Ruins of Songo Mnara, two of Tanzania's numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites! Previously, these trading centres were a mark of a great civilization dominated by the imports and exports of goods from Africa, Arabia, Persia, and India.

Kilwa was an independent city-state from the 12th to the 15th Century. At its height in the 14th Century, Kilwa boasted an expansive palace complex, a grand mosque, and numerous impressive stone structures.

The merchants of Kilwa were involved in trading various valuable commodities such as gold, silver, pearls, perfumes, Arabian crockery, Persian earthenware, and Chinese porcelain. As a result, they played a significant role in the trade that passed through the Indian Ocean.

An African, King Almuli, led Kilwa to significant growth and prosperity for the city. Under Almuli's rule, Kilwa became a major trade centre and grew in size and wealth, with impressive structures. Almuli strengthened Kilwa's ties with the Persian Gulf and other regions, which helped to bring more wealth and prosperity to the city. Amazingly, Kilwa Kisiwani was minting its currency in the 11th to 14th Centuries.

Kilwa declined as a trade centre after the Portuguese burnt the city, with merchants gradually relocating elsewhere and the city losing its independence. Located at the island's northern end, Songo Mnara was a bustling trading centre that boasted an impressive array of structures.

These included five mosques, a palace complex, and approximately thirty-three residential buildings constructed from coral stones and wood, all enclosed by protective walls. The Portuguese also knew what they were doing.

Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara were remarkable examples of the growth of Swahili culture and commerce along the East African coast. These two sites provide extraordinary evidence through architecture, archaeology, and documentation, offering essential insights into the region's economic, social, and political dynamics. Moreover, the sites indicate the extensive and prosperous Indian Ocean trade that flourished from medieval to modern times.

After the destruction, sometimes rebuilding is an uphill task! Can we return them to their former glory? It is close to an impossible task in the current setting.

Today, conservationists and archaeologists are trying to repair and stabilize the ruins. There has been ongoing research to understand the site's history and significance better. The sites are essential to promote tourism.

The demise of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara was a painful, significant, and unfortunate part of history. Today, poverty in Kilwa is part of life, how sad! Suppose Kilwa Kisiwani had survived as a center of trade and commerce; maybe, it would have continued to grow and develop, becoming an even more important player in the Indian Ocean trade network.