Mikindani

Mikindani [translation: young palm trees], is a coastal African, Swahili town in south-eastern Tanzania.

In the far south of Tanzania, Mikindani is an old Swahili port that was once the centre of trade in southern Tanzania. The original inhabitants (the Makonde people) were joined around the 9th Century AD by Arab traders. A further influx of Arabs occurred in the 17th century under the reign of Seyyid Said, the graves and mosques from this period can still be seen.

In the late 19th century under German colonial rule trade in the area's natural resources of rubber, sisal, coconuts and oil seed grew. The boma (fort), a slave market, a prison and a dock were constructed in the village. During World War I the prison was largely destroyed, what remained was turned into a customs house. With the arrival of the British at the end of the First World War, Mikindani remained an important administrative post and attracted a sizeable Indian population (there is still an Indian temple)until 1947 when the British administration developed the port in neighbouring Mtwara for exporting peanuts grown as part of the infamous Tanganyika groundnut scheme.

As the centre for trade and administration moved to Mtwara, Mikindani's focus shifted back to fishing and agriculture. The town declined further through the unwise nationalizations by the Tanzanian government that drove away most of the Indian and Arab settlers, and left the town a beautiful ruin frozen in time. Due to its proximity to the Northern border of Mozambique and the lack of communications - the road to Dar es Salaam is still under construction - the whole area remained relatively unexplored; the area was off-limits to tourists during the 1977 - 1994 Mozambican Civil War.

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