Kilwa Masoko (Kilwa of the Market) and Kilwa Kisiwani (Kilwa on the Island)

From Kilwa Masoko you easily visit Kilwa Kisiwani that has a long and very interesting history. On this place there have been people living for thousands of years. Artefacts from the late end the middle Stone Age have been found.

Still it seems there was nothing special with Kilwa Kisiwani until the 13^th century when trade-links were developed with the Southern part of today’s Mozambique. In the late 15^th century the economy went down and the powerful Kilwa declined. Then in the beginning of the 16^th century Kilwa was subdued by the Portuguese. Two hundred years later the island flourished again, now as a centre for slave trade. In the middle of the 19^th century Kilwa had totally declined. There was nothing left of its earlier greatness.

Kilwa Kisiwani and its correspondent on the mainland, Kilwa Masoko are interesting places to visit for anyone who likes to feel the atmosphere of African history. When you visit Kilwa don’t miss the ruins.

Ruins: on Kilwa Kisiwani are in two groups. The first you see when entering the island is a fort built by Arabs in the 19^th century on a spot where the Portuguese earlier built a fort at the beginning of the 16^th century. Not far from the fort there is the ruin of the Great Mosque, partly from the 13^th century. In its days this mosque was the biggest in East Africa. Nearby the mosque there is also a walled enclosed space where some of the sultans lived during the 18^th century.

The second group of ruins, Huzuni Kubwa, and Huzuni Ndogo are situated about 1,5 kilometre from the fort and consists of  a considerable number of buildings including the oldest ruins in Kilwa dating back to the 12^th century. 3-4 days visit is ok.