Zanzibar's doorways reveal a glimpse into its slave trade past
Robert Remington , Calgary Herald
It was certainly effective, but not the best thing for employee morale. So impressed was he by the intricate wooden door the Indian carver had made for his palace that the ruling sultan promptly ordered the poor fellow's hands be lopped off.
Thus, the sultan prevented the carver from replicating his work of art and was able to lay claim to having the grandest door in all of Zanzibar.
Whether the legend is true could not be confirmed. But Moses, our affable guide, said it was so. It seems like the kind of thing that might happen in a slave trading colony where up to 50 African men and women at a time were packed into small subterranean cells before being tied to a whipping post in the town square and flogged prior to being auctioned off.
Brass ornamental spikes indicate a door of Indian origin and are said to be a safeguard against the ramming power of elephants. Twenty years ago there were about 800 carved doors in Stone Town, but that number has dropped significantly.
The oldest door discovered in Zanzibar is dated 1694.
Brass ornamental spikes indicate a door of Indian origin and are said to be a safeguard against the ramming power of elephants. Twenty years ago there were about 800 carved doors in Stone Town, but that number has dropped significantly. The oldest door discovered in Zanzibar is dated 1694.
Robert Remington/Calgary Herald
To cry out was a sign of weakness, which meant a low price and banishment to the lower rungs of slave society, provided you survived the whipping. A society that valued human life so little was certainly capable of sawing off a hand or two.
Today, a church stands on the site of the old slave market in Stone Town, the historic capital of this exotic island in the Indian Ocean. The whipping post still survives behind the altar as a reminder of the island's grim past, and beneath the church it is possible to make your way into the underground slave holding cells, where the only fresh air came from two small slits in the walls.
About 50,000 African slaves passed through Stone Town each year, part of the estimated 11 to 18 million black African slaves that were sent to the Byzantine Empire and Muslim world from 650 to 1900 -- a worse record than the 9.4 to 14 million Africans brought to the Americas in the Atlantic slave trade.
As with most grand or public buildings in Stone Town, visitors enter the church through a large, carved wooden door, similar to the one that cost the Indian carver his hands.
These remarkable carved doors, each an individual work of art, are a symbol of Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its narrow, labyrinthine alleyways, white sand beaches and intoxicating blend of Arabic and African culture.
The town, with buildings built of coral stone and lime, is on the brink of decay. Many of its beautiful doors are weathered and rotting, too.
The little money that exists for restoration comes from outside donors and organizations like the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, which is spending $2.2 million on a major restoration project in the heart of Stone Town.
Wooden doors were a sign of wealth and status for Stone Town's wealthy Indian merchants and ruling Arab elite, many of whom were sent to sea in rafts during the island's socialist revolution of 1964.
Doors were initially made of termite and weather-resistant teak, imported from India or the mainland, although many today are made of local hardwoods.
Often brightly painted in red or green, the large double doors typical of a courtyard entrance open inwards from the centre, with larger ones having smaller door insets to allow entry without having to open the huge gates.
Zanzibar's doorways reveal a glimpse into its slave trade past
Robert Remington , Calgary Herald
According to zanzibardoors.com, a company that specializes in recreating the historic features of the wooden doors of Zanzibar, carved designs have certain meanings:
"Foremost among these are the fish, fish scales and wavy lines, pointing to an important source of food for the Swahili people. A chain design is also incorporated, known to symbolize security.
"The lintel is often decorated with lotus and rosette flowers, indicative of Indian influences. The older lintels feature Qur'anic inscriptions, the name of the houseowner or artist, and the date of the carving. Designs also include frankincense and the date palm, indigenous to Somalia and Arabia, suggesting wealth. The most beautiful is the central post which is carved deeply with geometric and floral motifs. This is attached to the left door shutter, called the 'female door' in Swahili, and all sorts of gendered interpretations can be given."
Many doors have brass spikes, likely a modification of the Indian practice of studding doors with sharp spikes of iron to prevent their being battered in by war elephants. Marco Polo, who visited around 1295, recorded that Zanzibar island abounded in elephants.
None exist on the island today. The practice of studding doors with brass spikes continues purely for decoration.
An inventory done in the 1980s reported around 800 carved doors in Zanzibar with the oldest dated to 1694.
According to the most recent count, that number has declined to 560 due to decay and theft to satisfy demand from international collectors -- a sad commentary considering they can be bought locally for $400 or ordered online, albeit for a much higher price.
Zanzibardoors.com specializes in luxury hand-carved doors made of locally grown hardwoods. Prices start at $2,500 plus shipping.
The most elaborate building in Stone Town is the Beit al-Ajaib, or House of Wonder, built in 1883.
A former sultan's palace, it was given its nickname because it was the first to have running water and electricity and had the most carved doors -- 13 in total.
The House of Wonder later housed British bureaucrats, including an accountant who fathered a son named Farouk Bulsara, better known as the late Freddie Mercury, lead singer and front man for the band Queen. Zanzibar, with a predominantly conservative Muslim population, later turned its back on Mercury, who died of AIDS-related causes in 1991. In 2006, local Muslim leaders tried to ban a beach party held in honour of Queen's gay front man, who was born on the island in 1946.
Walking the narrow streets of Zanzibar is like navigating a maze. Lost, I encounter Paul, a local missionary, who helps me back to my hotel. With bearings now relatively intact, I explore shops filled with wood carvings, brass clocks, old maps, garments and spices.
But mostly I just walk, soaking in the hypnotic atmosphere, including a bustling market that operates on one of the few wide main streets in Stone Town.
Often chosen as an exotic honeymoon destination, Zanzibar is a place to chill. Luxury hotels with infinity pools overlook pristine white beaches lapped by a warm sea with amazing colour. It's possible to pass an afternoon simply watching wooden fishing dhows with their trademark triangular sails drift up and down the Zanzibar coast.
Zanzibar's doorways reveal a glimpse into its slave trade past
Robert Remington , Calgary Herald
More information
Economy: Tourism is the main economic engine of Tanzania, valued at more than $1 billion annually, triple that of agriculture.
The recent political crisis in neighbouring Kenya, however, affected tourism in the entire region.
At the height of the crisis in January, the luxurious Kempinski Hotel on Zanzibar's northeast coast was like an opulent ghost town, with its sprawling, manicured grounds and pool area almost deserted.
The region saw tourism in the first quarter of this year cut in half, with most of that coming from relief workers travelling to Kenya.
Like the majority of people in East Africa, the average Zanzibari is poor. Most get by on an income of $1 to $2 a day.
Safety: Violence against tourists is low, but check travellers warnings on the Department of Foreign Affairs website at www.voyage.gc.ca/dest/ctry/reportpage-en.asp. Terrorist attacks by Islamic radical groups have occurred on Zanzibar, but are rare.
Use particular caution and heed travel warnings during local and national elections, when demonstrations can turn violent.
If You Go
- Return airfare from Calgary to Zanzibar starts at about $3,100. Zanzibar is often added as a two or three-day side trip to East African safaris.
- Rooms at the luxury Kempinski Hotel on the northeast coast and at the seaside Serena Hotel in the heart of Stone Town begin at $200 to $400 per night, depending on season. Budget accommodation can be found for about $100 per night.
- Once a separate nation, Zanzibar united with Tanganyika in 1963 to form Tanzania. Located 30 kilometres off the east coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean, it remains a semi-autonomous region of that East African nation.
- The island is accessible by boat and air. Airport arrivees are greeted by a sign in neatly trimmed vegetation that reads Smile Urin Zanzibar. Whether it's intentional Zanzibari humour or poor English is unclear.
- A tour of a local spice plantation is almost obligatory and costs about $20. You'll be asked to identify by smell various spices derived from plants in their natural state including ginger, tamarind, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and saffron.
- The Zanzibari population is predominantly Muslim. Be discreet with open displays of affection and ask before taking photographs of women.
- The shortest war in history, as verified by the Guinness Book of Records, was fought in Zanzibar in 1896. On Aug. 25, Sultan Hamid bin Thuwaini died; two hours later, a usurper broke into the palace and declared himself ruler. Three Royal Navy warships opened fire and in 45 minutes reduced the palace to rubble, deposing the usurper.
© The Calgary Herald 2008