Bagamoyo

Region

Bagamoyo is one of the oldest towns in the East African state of Tanzania. The establishment of Bagamoyo to the 8th - 9th Century. Bagamoyo was the first capital of German East Africa and one of the most important trading ports along the East African coast. Bagamoyo is a town with currently about 35,000 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2005) and the capital of the large - Bagamoyo District. Since Bagamoyo is not yet officially recognized as a city, the place still has no city administration, but is managed by the District. Bagamoyo is suggested by the Tanzanian Government with its Bauzeugnissen as part of a new world cultural heritage " East African slaves and trade route ".

Geography

Bagamoyo is located at 6 ° 26 ' 24 " South latitude and 38 ° 53' 24 " east longitude. The city is 75 km north of Dar es Salaam on the west coast of the Indian Ocean opposite the island of Zanzibar.

History

The history of Bagamoyo has been mainly influenced by traders from Persia, Arabia and today India-Pakistan area, and by Christian missionaries and explorers and by the German and British colonial rule.

Already in the 8th - 9th Century have been in the area around Bagamoyo from Persia coming Shirazi established, which in the 14th century - after the conquest of the State of Shiraz by the Mongols ( 1362 ) was followed by other. The Kaole ruins 5 km south of Bagamoyo, with remnants of two mosques and several tombs can be dated back to the 13th century and show the importance of Islam in this region too early historical times.

Until the mid- 18th century, Bagamoyo was a small insignificant trading center, were traded in the fish, salt, and tree resins, but the population consisted mainly of fishermen and small farmers. End of the 18th century it became a trading port for ivory and slaves who were brought from the hinterland regions to Morogoro, Lake Tanganyika and Usambara and loaded onto boats to Zanzibar. This also explains the current name of the settlement, because Bagamoyo ( " Bwaga - Moyo ") means "Put down your heart " in Swahili, because the slaves who were kidnapped on dhows to Zanzibar, never again saw their homeland.

As in 1840, laid the Sultan of Oman, Said ibn Sultan, his capital from Muscat to Zanzibar, Bagamoyo was the goal of the Arabs to the interior. 1873 the slave trade was officially abolished, but remained de facto in place until the turn of the century.

In 1868, the Muslims of Bagamoyo leaving the Holy Ghost Fathers land for the establishment of a mission in the north of the city, the first Catholic Mission in East Africa. This was done against the resistance of the indigenous population Zaramo, the am after the intervention of the French consul at Zanzibar But first of Sultan Majid Said and was put down by 1870 by Sultan Bargash. Originally, the mission served as a refuge for children who had escaped slavery; However, it soon emerged a church, a school, workshops and agricultural facilities.

However, Bagamoyo was not only a commercial center for slaves, ivory and copra, but also the starting point for expeditions respected European researchers. From Bagamoyo they set out on a search for the sources of the Nile and explored Africa's inland lakes. They included, for example, David Livingstone, Richard Francis Burton, John Hanning Speke, Henry Morton Stanley, Franz Stuhlmann, James Augustus Grant and Frederick Bohndorff.

In the years 1888-1891 was Bagamoyo capital of German East Africa, before the seat of the central administration was moved due to the lower port to Dar es Salaam. Bagamoyo was the seat of a district administration. The German Bagamoyo time ended in 1916 after the arrival of British troops during the First World War.

Economy and infrastructure

Today, Bagamoyo lives mainly from fishing and agriculture. Dhow sailing boats on the beach still made ​​in the traditional manner. The chief monument Authority of Tanzania has taken steps to preserve the monuments in and around Bagamoyo and to revitalize the city again. Known internationally today is the Bagamoyo College of Arts ( " Chuo cha Sanaa ") are taught in the traditional Tanzanian art, dance, drama and music. Following the construction of a road from Dar es Salaam to Bagamoyo the 21st century is also marked by the emergence of tourism. Many new hotels are not only tourists for beach holidays, but also for meetings.

In March 2013, a contract with the People's Republic of China was signed, which plans to build a major port and an adjacent special economic zone for 10 billion U.S. dollars.

Gallery

Kaiser Road ( 2007)

Mosque and several tombs in the nearby ruins Kaole

" Zanzibar Door "