Zanzibar Museum (Beit Al Amaan) (Zanzibar Town)

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Zanzibar Museum (Beit Al Amaan)

Of the few outstanding landmarks on the island of Zanzibar, the museum is no doubt a remarkable structure. Very simple in construction yet very eye catching, the buiding reminds one of the a wonder of the world - the great Taj Mahal in Agra, India.

The building was designed by a British architech a certain J.H. Sinclair and was opened as a Peace Memorial Museum on Armstice day. Today, to my amazement, I must say that the building still provides a shelter to a wealth of artifacts from Zanzibar's intruiging past.

As you go past the main entrance to the museum, you will immediately notice the fire extinguisher to be used in case of a fire...well not actually, it is an old fire 'carriage', used no doubt in the early decades of this century. Well don't be disappointed all the exhibits are not fire extinguishers.

If you look down towards the floor, you will be greeted by two small brass lions, who once spurted out water from their open mouths(they were taken from a fountain from one of Zanzibar's palaces).

Most of the delicate exhibits in the museum are protected in glass showcases. They include David Livingstone's medical chest (I guess his last one!), a letter from Cairo written by J. Speke (dated 31 May 1863) and photos of the last page of Speke's testimony against Tippu Tip (1889).

Other exhibits include Henry Morton Stanley's memento, a muster roll of his porters, from his expedition of 1882-1883, a Stanley medal and photos of Stanley, Speke, A.J. Grant, J.L. Krapf and Richard Burton.

There are several large exhibits well arranged around the extensive interior of the museum. There is an impressive painting of the Mwenyi Mkuu - Mohammed bin Ahmed, and his son, suspended from one of the walls.

At one corner of the museum is a Halwa (an arab sweat meat) chest built sometime in 1877. There are a few wooden pottery exhibits used in Zanzibar before the weight measure was introduced on the islands, and two great drums.

There are two large arab chests, typical of the arab chests made on the islands today. These chests are not very old.

On the right side of the museum you will see a rickshaw. These two wheeled man-powered carts were used to transport British residents from one place to another. The poor men who pulled these carts were the oppressed native africans.

Still related to transport, you will also come across a sedan chair used to carry British Residents and their wives when they visited rural areas and shambas (farms). They were carried on the sholders of african slaves.

A sporting trophy from the era of British Colonialism is a Polo gong, presented to Zanzibar's Polo club, by the officers of HMS Effingham for the annual match between the British Navy and the local team.

An exhibit related to World War 2, are the shell canisters of the German warship Konigsberg, thrown overboard when it attacked and sunk the HMS Pegasus. The canisters drifted ashore and were probably donated to the museum.

An item of less relevance is a specimen of a deep sea probably taken from the sunken cable ship - The Great Northerner.

The entrance ticket to the museum costs Tsh. 6000 in 1997. If you are interested in seeing the above exhibits for yourself, then you should pay the museum a visit.

The ticket also entitles you entrance to the annexe of the main museum, where there is a wealthy collection of stuffed animals - birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects and fish.

There are also two or three live, Giant Aldabra Tortoises on the grounds, brought from Changuu (Prison) island.