KUA RUINS

 Remains from a medieval Swahili town
JUANI ISLAND, TANZANIA

TANZANIAN MONUMENTS

Fabian Sylvester Kigadye, Acting Director of the Division of Antiquities in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, United Republic of Tanzania.

Tanzania has vast and important diverse of monument ranging from fortresses, tombs, defensive walls and religious buildings. In this exhibition among to present the ancient ruins of Kua in Mafia district and three World heritage Sites named Ruins of Kiliwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara, Kondoa rock art paintings and the Ngorongoro mixed World heritage site as follows:

The ancient Swahili town of Kua on the island of Juani is one of the largest medieval swahili sites in East Africa. Extending over more than 40 acres, the main settlement comprised 6 mosques, four cemetery areas, a large double-storied palace and least 11 stones houses. One of the remarkable monuments in Kua is the Palace building. The Palace was probably constructed at the height of Kua’s ascendency in the second half of the 18th century and assumed to have been the residence of Kua’s rulers.

The Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara (1981): The larger, Kilwa Kisiwani, was occupied from the 9th to the 19th century and reached its peak of prosperity in the13th and 14th centuries. In 1331-1332, the great traveler, Ibn Battouta made a stop here and described Kilwa as one of the most beautiful cities of the world. Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara were Swahili trading cities and their prosperity was based on control of Indian Ocean trade, particularly between the 13th and 16th centuries, when gold and ivory from the hinterland was traded for silver, carnelians and Chinese porcelain.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (1979, 2010): The area was established in 1959 as a multiple land use area, with wildlife coexisting with semi-nomadic Maasai pastoralists practicing traditional livestock grazing. It includes the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, the world largest caldera, and Olduvai Gorge, a 14km long deep ravine. The area has been subject to extensive archaeological research for over 80 years and has yielded a long sequence of evidence of human evolution and human-environment dynamics, collectively extending over a span of almost four million years to the early modern era. This evidence includes fossilized footprints at Laetoli, associated with the development of human bipedalism, evolving hominin species within Olduvai gorge, which range from Australopiths such as Zinjanthropus boisei to the Homo lineage that includes Homo habilis.

Kondoa Rock Art Site (2006): The authenticity of Kondoa rock art is beyond question. It has never been restored or enhanced in any way. What is of special importance about Kondoa is that the rock art exists, largely in its original natural environment, and in the context of rich living heritage.

Dr. Fabian Kigadye

Dr. Fabian Kigadye holds a PhD degree in Architectural Heritage Conservation and currently serves as Acting Director of the Division of Antiquities in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism -United Republic of Tanzania. He has experience of over 15 years in field of architectural heritage planning, management and conservation. Besides that, he has published several papers and a book.

3D model of Mosque 1

JUANI ISLAND, TANZANIA

The Kua ruins are all that remains from a medieval Swahili town.
The spatial documentation of the Kua ruins took place in 2018.

3D model of Mosque 2 and
House 1

JUANI ISLAND, TANZANIA


3D model of House 4

JUANI ISLAND, TANZANIA

3D model of Mosque 3

JUANI ISLAND, TANZANIA

3D model of Mosque 6

JUANI ISLAND, TANZANIA

Panorama Tour

Panorama Tour of Kua Ruins

JUANI ISLAND, TANZANIA
The Kua ruins are all that remains from a medieval Swahili town.
The spatial documentation of the Kua ruins took place in 2018.

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