DAR ES SALAAM & BAGAMOYO

Dar-es-Salaam is the largest city in Tanzania with population of about 2,500,000 people. It is the economic centre and former capital of Tanzania. Dar es Salaam which is located on a harbor on the Indian Ocean is the main port for Tanzania, handling exports of cotton, coffee and sisal.

Local industries include food products, textiles, pharmaceuticals and cement. The harbor also serves to the neighboring countries of Rwanda, Burundi and DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo).

The city of Dar-es-Salaam which was formerly called Mzizima a name meaning "healthy town," is a historical milestone of Tanzania since the time of Arabs and European colonialists. For example, Sultan Majid bin Said, the then sultan of Zanzibar; saw the potential of Dar-es-Salaam port as the centre of the East African coast. The port was the major route to ship slaves and raw materials to European countries.

The Sultan named it "Darussalaam" meaning ''The Haven of Peace''. In 1859, Albert Roscher from Germany became the first European to land in Dar-es-Salaam. Majid's death in 1870, made the town's advancement decline, but was revived again in 1887, when the German East Africa Company established a station there.

The town served as the administrative and commercial centre of German East Africa (Deutch Ost Afrika). It is this company that built the Central Railway Line early 1900s. The German rule ended after World War II. After War II, Tanganyika became a British subject, and Dar-es-Salaam remained the administrative and commercial centre of the territory.

While in Dar-es-Salaam city centre, one can visit the seaport, Kariakoo (old market area), Best Hotel (built in1920's), Kaiserhof Hotel (now New Africa Hotel) and Sixty years old German building located at the junction of the present Sokoine Drive and Azikiwe Street.

NATIONAL MUSEUM: At the National Museum you will see fossils from Oldupai Gorge, Mkwawa's cranium and handicrafts.

The VILLAGE MUSEUM is also located inside the National Museum. The Village Museum depicts different styles of traditional housing from various regions. In addition there is NYUMBA YA SANAA (House of Arts): In Nyumba ya Sanaa in which there is a collection of Handicrafts from around the country.

THE OLD CHURCHES: You will also see one of the earliest Christian Churches built by Germans missionaries in the country, the Azania Front and Osterbay. The Indian Ocean has white sand beaches and environmental features formed by the ocean waves and can easily be seen. Coral reefs are plenty.

Bagamoyo was another major slave trading post in East Africa. Bagamoyo, which literally means "Lay down your heart" in Swahili, was probably given this name because it was the last place where the slaves stayed in Tanzania before they were taken to foreign lands.

The town is 80 km north of Dar-es-Salaam. Bagamoyo is not a busy port anymore, but rather a touring place where one can go for holidays and stay in a quiet Resort Hotel, moving around the town, enjoy the white sand beach and listen to the history of old Bagamoyo town from historians and non-historians. Bagamoyo Art College: The College accommodates students from all over the world who come and learn the African culture. Traditional Tanzanian sculpture, carving and painting are some of the things to be explored in this historical place. If interested, and you should, arrangement for traditional dance at the college during the tour will be made.

The Kaole Ruins: Arabs were the first explorers to arrive in Bagamoyo in the thirteenth century followed by Germans. In southern Bagamoyo at Kaole, Arabs built two Mosques. This Place is now known as KAOLE RUINS. The two old mosques and several tombs remain to be a symbol of Islam religion. All the architectures in Kaole are built in Coral stone.

The Hanging Place: It was in this site the Germans executed Africans who rebelled against their government in the late eighteenth century. Most Africans who were hanged attempted to overthrow the German rule. During German colonial rule, Bagamoyo was the capital town of Tanzania before it was changed by British after World War II. Our competent tour guides will take you and show you many attractive sites but we ardently advise you to see

The Roman Catholic Mission: It was built in the late eighteenth century by Germans with the purpose to spread Christianity. The Roman Catholic Mission is the oldest Roman Catholic Church in East and Central Africa. The remains of Dr. Livingstone, (the old famous missionary to Africa) were preserved in this Church before the burial ceremony which took place in England in 1874. In addition, students studying history, anthropology, culture, traditional music and others visit Bagamoyo for study tours.