Why you should visit Zanzibar? The white sand on endless beaches, the warm ocean at any time of the year, fresh coconuts, ancient history, exotic modernity, and even Freddie Mercury and Bill Gates – all this is Zanzibar.
Many people think that this is an island, but if you look geographically, it is a whole archipelago. Zanzibar is 75 separate islands that have their own names. The largest of them, where tourists usually rest, is Unguja. The islands of Pemba and Mafia are also quite large in size. The rest of them are small. The archipelago is located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa. The mainland itself is perfectly visible from Zanzibar since there are only a few tens of kilometers between them. The archipelago belongs to the southern hemisphere, so it can be said that those who arrive there cross the equator.
Thanks to trade, the islands of Zanzibar have long been known. Many years ago, slaves, silver, spices, fish, and many other things were traded there. They sold resources not only to neighbors but also, for example, to India or modern Oman. Zanzibar was a profitable bay and a good place to meet traders from the mainland and other places in the Indian Ocean.
According to some reports, the first people on Zanzibar appeared 22 thousand years ago. This is evidenced by archaeological finds of tools and ornaments. On a large scale, the archipelago began to be populated by Arab traders. They set up trading posts and married locals, thereby fully settling on these lands. And at the beginning of the 12th century, the oldest mosque in the southern hemisphere was built. The locals also had a sultan who ruled until Vasco da Gama sailed to the islands, after which many Portuguese moved to Zanzibar. As a result, the archipelago became Portuguese for the next two centuries.
How the island of Mafia suffered from cannibals less than a hundred years ago, what has become of the first mosque in Zanzibar in our time, who drove the Portuguese from the lands of the archipelago, and how best to organize your vacation in this part of the world.
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