Waves of wisdom

Choosing Zanzibar for the first IIT campus outside India honours the pioneers who crossed the seas and spread the warmth of Indian knowledge and culture

-  PUNEET KUNDAL

THE ISLAND OF ZANZIBAR, known for its spices and azure beaches, has been on the map of Indian, Persian and Arab sailors since first century CE. Zanzibar was a base for voyages between the Middle East, India and Africa. With its historic centre, Stone Town, Zanzibar is best described as an East African coastal trading town, influenced by an eclectic mix of disparate elements of African, Arab, Indian and European cultures. These have truly made it an Indo-Arab-African city that, while embracing the new, subtly mixed it with elements of the old. With its cobbled streets, chaotic traffic, an overhanging smell of spices and sights at every turn, this UNESCO heritage city has a soul of its own. Zanzibari doors are a typical example—decorated with knobs, each with their own style, whether Arab, African or Gujarati.

Originally inhabited by the Bantu speaking people, Zanzibar saw Swahili merchants starting operations as agents for traders from India and the Arab world from ninth century CE. Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama’s visit in 1498 marked the arrival of European influence. Zanzibar became part of the Portuguese empire in 1503 and remained so for almost two centuries. The Portuguese presence was relatively limited, leaving administration in the hands of pre-existing local leaders and power structures. In 1698, Zanzibar came under the influence of the Sultanate of Oman. The sultans controlled a large portion of the Swahili coast known as Zanj, which included Mombasa and Dar es Salaam.