Jumba la Mtwana in Mtwapa, Kenya

Jumba la Mtwana is another in a line of ancient stone cities that dot the East African coast; the stone ruins that remain today are the town center and include the houses of the elite class; their presence probably points to a larger community of mud and thatch houses surrounding the ruins. James Kirkman was among the first to excavate this site, and he published a book called Notes on Jumba la Mtwana (which the Rough Guide to Kenya draws on quite heavily). The Friends of Fort Jesus and Homo Sassoon also published Jumba la Mtwana guide. I wish I'd had my hands on one or the other as I stumbled through the ruins with my girlfriend and a local guide.

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Kizimkazi Dimbani

While at Jambiani, my friend and I decided to take a trip to the south west corner of the island, to the oldest known settlement in Zanzibar, a place called Kizimkazi Dimbani. Here Persian or Arab immigrants migrated, built a walled town, and likely married with the local inhabitants. The masjid contains an ANCIENT inscription (c. 1107 AD) that has been painted over. It is still in use today, and the mu'alim who showed us around made it clear that donations in the sadakat would be much appreciated. After I made a donation, he cleared his throat, "Something for me, too?" It was less a question than a declaration. Sigh. And the tour he gave was less than impressive, I must say.
Zanzibar public transportation is somewhat spotty, especially getting on toward evening, so we hitchiked back to Jambiani beach on a dump truck. Round trip took us a good 6 hours. Whew.

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