World heritage city island mozambique. C8X C81G Ibo Island Mozambique. Entertainment and attractions of the island of Mozambique

Ile de Mozambique or simply Ile Island - small island, having the shape of a crescent. Located in the north of Mozambique. The island was previously the capital of Portugal's East African colony and played a major coastal role.

The island is famous for its many mosques and churches and primarily for its Hindu temple. The island is divided into two parts: in the north is the old Stone Town, also called “Stone Town”, and in the south is Reed Town, also called “Reed Town”. Most of the historical sites are located in Stone Town, which was included in the list of objects World Heritage UNESCO.

The main attraction of the island is the Palace and Chapel of Sao Paulo with a museum whose exhibition includes rare furniture and jewelry from Portugal, Arabia, India and China. Nearby is the Museum of Sacred Art, which houses religious decorations, paintings and sculptures. The island has the medieval fort of San Sebastian, located in the northern part, and the magnificent chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte, the oldest in the southern hemisphere.

An excursion to the island is of great interest to connoisseurs of history and architecture.

The island of Mozambique belongs to the province of Nampula, in Northern Mozambique. For almost 4 centuries, during the Portuguese colonization, it was the capital of the state, and then moved to present-day Maputo. Long before the Portuguese, back in the 8th century, the island was used as a main trading base by the Persians and Arabs. And today this place with a rich and varied history is classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

In fact, “island” is a bit of a word. This is an elongated strip of land in the shape of a crescent, a little over three kilometers long and a maximum width of 500 m. mainland it is connected by a bridge. About 15 thousand citizens live on the island, the lion's share of them in central city Makuti, located in the south of the island. This colorful and clearly overpopulated town is definitely worth visiting no less than the expensive Stone Town, separated from it, in the north of the island. The territory of the latter is larger than the bustling Makuti. The stone city was built up by the Portuguese, and the buildings have been preserved to this day, although they look their age. Included in the UNESCO list for its characteristic architecture and rich cultural heritage Both are included.

The islet offers travelers a magical mix of colonial Portuguese architecture with old Swahili buildings.

Due to its size, you can easily walk through the entire island on foot in about 40 minutes, from one end to the other. After the local roads were optimized, cycling began to gain popularity, and there are many places on the island where you can rent a bicycle.

How to get to the island of Mozambique

The island is located 4 km from the coast. You can get here without any problems by road from Nampula: the highway is good, and everything will take about 2 hours. There is a fee to cross the dam. You can get there by chap from the street. Trabadores in Nampula, which is near the railway station.

Search for flights to Mozambique Island

A little history

The first European to set foot on the shores of the island of Mozambique was Vasco da Gama, and this happened in 1498. Just 8 years later, the well-known Portuguese military leaders Tristan da Cunha and Afonso de Albuquerque took possession of the island and immediately began building Fort San Sebastian. The advantageous location made the tiny island the main port of the entire region, mainly slave trading. In the 19th century, when the bishop and governor general of Portugal moved here, residences, administrative buildings and shops were built on the island, which have survived to this day. But very soon, after the opening of the Suez Canal, no one needed the island and its harbor - after all, there was now a shorter route.

Entertainment and attractions of the island of Mozambique

The islet offers travelers a magical mix of colonial Portuguese architecture with old Swahili buildings. Traditionally, the island of Mozambique was divided into “native” and “civilized”. The "civilized" part grew after the island became the capital of the Portuguese colonial possessions in East Africa. Characteristic limestone houses with dark wooden beams form winding streets around central square. The facades of the houses were decorated with cornices, tall framed windows and rows of decorative pilasters, and the flat roofs were used to collect rainwater (vital for an island with its own springs). fresh water did not have).

Of course, all this did not concern the “wild” southern part of the island: to this day it bears the nickname “Reed City”. It still differs sharply from Kamenny: here the traveler sees poor mud huts with thatched roofs and narrow passages, children playing in the street, clucking chickens, fishermen mending their gear. Despite general impression extreme poverty, Makuti is full of life, and its population seems friendly. Get to the dhow port even if you don't intend to sail anywhere: the boats under construction are an interesting sight. Plus, there is a fish market next to the port.

There are more than 50 national monuments on the island of Mozambique, which are distributed between Stone Town and Makuti.

First of all, in the Stone City you should visit Fort San Sebastian: this is the oldest surviving fort intact in that part of Africa that is south of the Sahara. The fort was designed for a garrison of 2,000 people. Construction took the Portuguese almost half a century, which is not surprising - after all, materials for the fort were transported by sea from Europe itself. Just outside the fort, separated from it by a gate, is the recently restored Chapel of Our Lady of Baluarte, built in 1522. It is believed to be the oldest building erected by Europeans in the southern hemisphere. Not only that, but it is also one of the most notable examples of Manueline Portuguese late Gothic in Mozambique. In its restored form, the chapel, which stands on the very tip of the island, is a beautiful small snow-white building.

At the entrance to the fort, be sure to ask for a ticket, otherwise you will have to pay twice.

Other interesting building, surviving from Portuguese times, is the chapel and palace of São Paulo, built in 1610 as a Jesuit college building and then became the governor's residence. Today, in the palace, built of red brick, they work tourist office And Maritime Museum, dedicated to Portuguese sailors. In the latter you can see objects that survived shipwrecks of the 16th century, including navigational instruments and even Chinese porcelain from the Ming Dynasty. Also noteworthy is the Misericordia Church, which houses a museum of religious art. In its exhibition you can see an interesting carved wooden Makonde crucifix. Also worth a look are the Church of Santo Antonio and the old customs house. A recent memorial garden was created on the site of an old warehouse where slaves were kept, in memory of the thousands of them who met their end here.

4 things to do on Mozambique Island:

Find the Books and Bottles shop in Stone Town, Rua Dos Arcas. In addition to what is indicated in the name, you can buy souvenirs and handicrafts here.
Go to the restaurant, which is right on the road separating Stone Town from Reed Town. Both foreigners and locals enjoy a lazy lunch here, and it’s not boring here either in the evening.
Attend a beach party hosted by young people who sell dhow rides during the day. Very cheap food and lots of fun.
Go for a dhow ride.

But tourists visit the island not only for sightseeing. Here you can go boating, diving and snorkeling or just lazing on the beach. Fans of snorkeling may be interested in the sunken barge that lies at the bottom of the pier. The diving center is located in the north, directly below the fort, next to a large swimming pool with a restaurant. The rainy season on the island of Mozambique comes twice: from February to April and from November to January.

The Mozambique Island Bridge is what you need if you want to take photos at sunset or take a nice walk breathing in the sea air. Its length is 3.8 km.

The more active ones can rent a boat and go to the nearby tiny islands of Goa and Sete Paus. Seine Island (also known as Cobra Island) is more difficult to access, as you can only get here at the very peak of low tide, and people usually stay overnight at a campsite there. Which is probably for the best: travelers will have time to visit the lagoon, which is a real gem.

Another great route is a dhow trip to Chocas Mar in the stunning Karuska Lagoon. This one is long virgin beach located on the continent, approximately 40 km from the island of Mozambique, and is separated from it by Mossouril Bay. Having reached here, you can stay at one of a couple of hotels and allow yourself to immerse yourself in blissful idleness for several days. When you get bored with the latter, you can drive to the town of Cabaqueira, where there is a popular bar-restaurant, a beautiful old church and the ruins of the governor's palace.

Quirimba Island gravitates towards the port city of Pemba, the capital of the province of Cabo Delgado. Under the Portuguese, Pemba was called Porto Amelia - in honor of the last queen of the metropolis. They'll probably show you the way there. As they say here, language will take you to Kyiv. I hope it will reach Karimba too.

In Pemba I strike up a conversation with the hotel manager. He advises visiting the port and finding out about the islands there. Thank you, I've already visited. Indeed, you can hire a boat, and in six hours - with a fair wind - you will go ashore at Karimba. But renting the most modest vessel will cost such a pretty penny that the sky will seem like a sheepskin. This is not for our common compatriots, but, as they wrote before, for “overseas moneybags” or “new Russians.” However, it is unlikely that the archipalago lost in southern Africa is in the sphere of their vital interests.

Having assessed the situation, the manager talked with the guests and offered me another option, much more economical. In the morning, walk 4 kilometers through the whole of Pemba to the Embondeiro market, at the exit of the city. If you're lucky, you can take a chapa (open pickup truck) there to Quissanga, 120 kilometers north of Pemba. And there look for the dhow (sailing felucca) heading to the archipelago. This is how local people get to Kirimba. And in my travels I always try to follow his example.

In the morning there was a rare downpour during the winter season. And it should be noted that July in the Southern Hemisphere is the height of winter. However, when a chapa filled with passengers approached the market, someone in the heavenly office, fortunately, turned on the tap. And so we rush along the huge bay of Pemba, in which, according to local residents, all the merchant ships of the world can fit. They may be exaggerating, but the scale is impressive. Asphalt gives way to dusty primer; The potholes are getting deeper and we are gradually becoming participants in the Camel Trophy. True, no chance of winning.

By lunchtime, Chapa, covered in reddish dust, stops at the only hotel in Kissang. The owner of a visiting house is glad to have a guest - no matter what, he earns money. But to his misfortune, the guest rushes to the archipelago and hurries to the cove, where fishing scows are dozing on the sand. With a trained eye I estimate: the wind is headwind, there is no “high water” yet, which means we need to wait for the weather near the sea (ocean). Shipowners confirm: espere! Wait! They advise you to return to the hotel; if something happens, they will send for me one of the local skets, who are spinning right under my feet.

At the hotel, which is more like an inn, I am greeted like family. The hostess pours tea. A local “activist” who speaks good English sits down at the table. Vasco is the son of his era, and it was turbulent in Mozambique - a national liberation war that smoothly turned into a civil war. In the 70s, Vasco served in the FRELIMO army, smoking out the oppositionists - the "RENAMO gang" - from the bush. He was taught military affairs by Cuban instructors as part of his “international duty.” After graduation civil war the renamists were amnestied; Now this party is represented in government bodies. Now Vasco is a peaceful worker in the fields. True, these fields are flooded: sea salt is evaporated on them.

Time flies by during the conversation, but it had to be ended urgently. A barefoot messenger came running with the news: the water has arrived, the wind is fair, you can load! I hastily say goodbye to Vasco, the owner of the “pensao” (boarding house, hotel). On the shore, passengers are preparing to board. I got a family of three people as travel companions, carrying bags of cassava to Quirimba.

Our sloop with a slanting sail runs merrily to the island. The shuttle tilts first to one side, then to the other. Sandbags are used as a counterweight: they are thrown from place to place. If there is not enough ballast, then passengers are used. The helmsman every now and then turns to me with respect: “Patron, change seats! Patron, move to the right!” I conscientiously follow his instructions, understanding that I am participating as much as I can in the alignment of our craft. Contemplating the marvelous sunset, I begin to think about lodging for the night: is there even a hotel on this island? The helmsman mutters something incomprehensible: “Si, alleman!”

We jump off the dhow and wade to the shore in waist-deep water. Local boys undertake to take the traveler to Pensao, counting on a reward of several hundred meticals. But they are still small; in their understanding, "pensao" is a house made of bricks, that is, something that is different from a thatched hut. And when we approach the local store, they consider their task completed. The owner of the shop is better informed and explains to my guides where to go next. The word "allemagne" is heard again. I wonder where the Germans are here from? The snotty African “Ivan Susaninas” lead me further into the interior of the island, and by the way, dusk has already fallen. IN southern regions the darkness comes instantly. When our gang finally arrives at the next stone building, it turns out that it is a private house.

While I’m explaining to the owner, the young guides disappear into the darkness. And the homeowner points to a barely visible path along which you need to walk about three kilometers to the “Allemany”. There is no choice, I continue my path in the darkness, alone, without a tongue, through the thickets, on an island lost in the Indian Ocean...

About 20 minutes later I hear the sound of a motor behind me - a motorcyclist is catching up with me. As it turned out later, the estate manager. Having delivered the unscheduled tourist to the estate, he hands over the client to the elderly German hostess. Four stern wolfhounds act as silent but attentive witnesses to this procedure. It was not by chance that this kindness was shown to me. “Without us, they would have torn you apart in the dark,” explains the estate manager, pointing to the four-legged guards. With belated fear I think that I could easily miss the motorcyclist.

Sieglinde - that’s the name of the owner of the estate - invites me into the house. She's wearing a T-shirt; For some reason, on the back it says “FRELIMO” in big letters. There is a TV in the corner of the living room. On the screen, via satellite, there is a German program. Sieglinde is not well (age!), and she is laconic: overnight accommodation - 20 dollars, frunstük - 5. I ask: should I pay in dollars or Mozambican meticals, according to the exchange rate? “I’m only interested in dollars,” I hear in response.

Outside the window there is a loud dog barking and the noise of a motor. The owner arrived in a jeep: he had spent the whole day on the plantation. Let's get acquainted. Joachim Gessner turned out to be more talkative than his wife. He "since '30", was born in Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland). The end of the Second World War found Joachim in the Czech Republic. I just want to ask: "Volkssturm? Hitler Youth?" But I hesitate: why pour salt into the wounds?

In 1946, Joachim left Eastern Europe: the Iron Curtain was just beginning to fall over it, and he managed to slip through. I flew by plane to Amsterdam, from there to Madrid, then to Lisbon. He was not in the capital of the metropolis for long; from there he went by steamer to Mozambique, where his father had a palm plantation on the island of Quirimba. Some “dispossessed” German families fled here through Portugal. In Mozambique, Joachim met Sieglinde, and they spent time in the Quirimba archipelago best years life: a hundred years for two...

The Gessners' main source of income is palm trees on 700 hectares of land, inherited by the owner from his father. A hotel for several guests is just for earning money. It is managed by the wife, so that she can also be involved in the business. As they liked to say in the Third Reich: “Work makes you free!” Copra is made from coconuts on the plantation - now the state buys it from Mozambique. Joachim does not work for export; the conditions in the country today are not the same. I ask: aren’t the authorities taking away land, as is happening in neighboring Zimbabwe? “No,” Joachim replies. And gloomily adds: “Bye.” I am beginning to understand that it is no coincidence that Sieglinde wears a T-shirt with the name of the ruling revolutionary party. This is a show of loyalty.

In 1977, when Soviet-Mozambican ties were intense, the Gessner couple visited the Soviet Union: 5 days in Kyiv, the same amount in the city on the Neva. Now you have to get to Mozambique with two transfers, through three countries. At the same time, there was a direct Aeroflot flight from Maputo. In the mid-90s, they also visited Germany, but did not dare to go to Poland, so Breslau (Wroclaw) remained in Joachim’s foggy youth.

It's time to sleep, and the hostess takes me to the next house. As he walks, he explains: you can’t turn off the lights anywhere and go out to the ocean shore at night - the dogs will tear you to pieces! In the morning you can, they don’t touch white people. Of the blacks, racist wolfhounds recognize only two servants. The rest of the blacks are bullied, and sometimes even quartered (by the way, the wonderful French writer Romain Gary wrote about such a representative of the four-legged people in the story “The White Dog”). But there are no locks anywhere in the rooms, everything is guarded by wolfhounds. The sound of the engine soon subsides, the lights go out, and I fall asleep to the sound of the ocean surf.

In the morning we have a hearty breakfast (frunstuk), after which we go to the plantation. Joachim, who took over the functions of a tour guide, explains: copra is obtained from nuts growing on palm trees. The tree begins to bear fruit after six to eight years, but truly blossoms at the age of 40. The annual harvest from one palm tree is about fifty nuts. We go to a building that resembles a greenhouse. Nuts are brought here on a tractor and trailer, stacked on the plantation in pyramids of one hundred pieces. Using a sharp knife - a katana - the worker rips open the green shell and removes the brown hairy core. It is cut in half and placed on the metal frame of the drying unit.

When dry, the white pulp of the kernel - copra - darkens, emits oily vapors and hardens. During subsequent processing, coconut oil is squeezed out of copra, and the durable fiber is used to make ropes, mats, and brushes.

The lecture I listened to is so detailed that, in principle, one can consider that I have an additional profession in my hands. So, in reserve, just in case...

From the plantation we go to a coastal village. The first Europeans to set foot on the shores of Quirimba were Portuguese missionaries who arrived here in the second half of the 16th century. From that era, two dilapidated churches have been preserved on the island. One temple without a roof. Inside there are tombstones with barely legible inscriptions in Portuguese. Where shrubs are supposed to grow on the ruins of destroyed churches, here cacti are nestled on the walls. There are stone carvings on the columns. Near the temple there are huts and boats. Here fish is dried on a bamboo floor. At the foot of the baobab tree, a fisherman is repairing a gayola - a bamboo basket that locals use to catch fish in shallow waters.

In another temple, the roof was half preserved and, lo and behold, the tiles were not touched. Moreover, no one “capitalized” wooden window frames. The floor beams are also intact. But they could have requisitioned it in the revolutionary 70s. I know from domestic experience...

Joachim is interested in my plans. For me they are extremely simple: you need to move to neighboring island For. And I hear from a respectable planter a seemingly frivolous, if not buffoonish phrase: “It’s an hour and a half on foot.” That is, what is it like: walking to an island in the ocean? And so. The tide begins to ebb, and until the next “big water” you can cross to Ibo along the ocean floor. It's only 6-7 kilometers. Moreover, Joachim, as a courtesy, will give me his assistant, a worker from the plantation, to accompany me. One can easily get lost in the mangroves, and the next tide cannot be canceled.

We set out for the hike in an hour, when the water recedes. It’s not that I’m timid, but it was nice to discover that we were not alone: islanders were stretching along the exposed bottom. They also have business in Ibo. The dark-skinned guide, assigned by Joachim to accompany me, takes part of my luggage: after all, we will have to walk through the mangroves barefoot. A flock of local dandies caught up with us. There is a thick layer of white paint on their faces; it is prepared from the juice of the same palm trees. Amadi, that’s the name of the guide, explains that this is a nutritious mixture. It protects the skin from the sun, and at night the cosmetic mask is washed off. Everything is like white fashionistas, only exactly the opposite.

We reached Ibo quickly along the sandy bottom, but this is the easiest part of the journey. The mangroves begin, the paths run into different sides, and without a guide you will really be lost here. I glance warily towards the ocean - how is the tide? You have to walk knee-deep in black slush, cross streams, and all under the scorching sun. Finally, Amadi comes to the shore of the island river, and we splash along its sandy bottom. And here is the desired overland path leading to the town.

It just so happened that we were the first to emerge from the mangroves. It turns out that the rest of the people followed us in a disciplined manner - on a narrow path it is impossible to overtake each other, and there is no need: after all, everyone is walking with a load. From the outside it looks quite unusual: in front is a white “Robinson” with a dark-skinned “Friday”, and behind them is a whole caravan - a chain of women with luggage on their heads and white “death masks” on their faces. And we are walking, by the way, past an ancient Portuguese cemetery.

Today is Sunday, and the town seems to have died out. There is a large barn lock on the door of the local FRELIMO office. The house of the revolutionary committee is decorated with the Mozambican coat of arms with a Russian Kalashnikov assault rifle - this is truly evidence of world recognition! The shops are also closed. It has been noticed: if a revolutionary committee appears in a city, then the food immediately disappears. And there is no longer a market, but the “supply of everyday goods” remains. We went through this and taught others...

Amadi leads me to a hotel that has been preserved on the island from the “old regime”. When entering "Casa pensao Janine" they call me by name. I turn around: it’s Pierre from France! Two years ago we met him on a ship sailing from the Tanzanian island of Pemba to Zanzibar. And now we met near Pemba, Mozambique. It turns out that he never left South-East Africa: he wandered around Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi. Pierre is a professional diving instructor. Having settled in the back room of another coastal hotel, he teaches wealthy guests scuba diving. This is how it feeds on the ocean. Sooner or later, his passport is filled with visas from cover to cover. And then he goes to the French embassy, and they issue him a new one. Such a citizen of the world. Mainly underwater.

Pierre has mastered the Portuguese language well, and now he is negotiating with the hotel owner about a “candlelight dinner” (there are power outages on the island). The local fishermen's morning catch brought octopus; in the evening he will be the highlight of the program. The caught octopus is immediately beaten off with a stick on the shore. According to tradition, he is given 40 strokes. Every 10 strokes it is rinsed in water, causing soap suds to ooze out of it. It has been noted that such an execution causes the sea monster to “relax”, and then there is no longer any fear that its body will acquire the properties of rubber during cooking in the cauldron. After drying in the sun and allowing the eight-fingered to wilt slightly, it is boiled and placed on a roasting rack and then generously poured with a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice. The first prevents it from burning, and the second tightens the skin, preserving the original taste.

We go to the ancient Portuguese fortress of São Joao Batista (St. John the Baptist). The first Portuguese fortification was built here around 1609, after which Ibo became the second most important stronghold after the island of Mozambique, which lies 300 kilometers south of Pemba (from this island the whole country later received its name). And the current fortress of San Joao dates back to the end of the 18th century.

The Portuguese made Ibo a transshipment point for the slave trade. The French - owners of sugar cane plantations on the island - were in great demand for slaves. Mauritius. However, in 1891, Porto Amelia (present-day Pemba) replaced Ibo as shopping center, and only the fort of São Joao Batista continued to function at full capacity: where slaves once languished before being sent, the Portuguese kept political opponents of the regime in stone casemates. Today the fort is abandoned, there is no money for restoration, and only a resourceful islander is trying to get a bribe from random tourists for entering the fortress. Moreover, silversmiths work in several cells.

Cathedral after the departure of the Portuguese it was also closed. Along main street there are empty, dilapidated mansions with socketed windows and rickety doors. After the white owners leave, no one occupies them, and the wind blows inside. Locals huddle in bamboo huts on the outskirts. There is also the only mosque on the island. This is a memory of the centuries during which local population was influenced by Islam from Arab sailors, traders, and missionaries.

Through a seemingly extinct town I walk to an ancient Portuguese cemetery. It is fenced with a stone wall; This is a piece of “bygone Portugal”. The cemetery church is locked, but the crypts are wide open. I look into one of them. It once belonged to the wealthy Pereira family. There are coffins on two floors along the walls. The lid of one of them, where Francisco Pereira was buried, has been torn off. Bones are mixed with construction debris, the skull is bared in a sad smile. Poor Francisco - African Yorick!

There are more than enough impressions from Ibo, we must return to mainland. After all, besides Ibo and Quirimba, the other islands of the archipelago are very difficult to access, and there are no sources of fresh water there. Under the Portuguese, palm plantations were established in Matemo and Quisiva. There are also residents there, but they are unlikely to be ready to receive tourists. The islet of Rolas (Ilha das Rolas) near Matemo is uninhabited; Only seasonal fishermen can be found there. There were rumors that some enterprising enthusiasts had begun to build cottages for tourists on the islet of Quilaluia, south of Quirimba, and also on Quipaco, halfway between Pemba and Quissanga. It was assumed that there the “Westerners” would indulge in “birdwatching” - bird watching. But under FRELIMO these projects turned out to be “pie in the sky”...

How to get from Ibo to the mainland? To the archipelago, as they say, “the entrance is a ruble, and the exit is two.” After much questioning, we managed to find a place where the shuttles could take passengers on board. When asked when, I hear the answer: “A la maña” (in the morning) and “tarde” (in the afternoon). The "schedule" is based on the tide times. I decide to leave Ibo at dawn. Passengers were already crowded on the shore. No one knows whether one of the scows will go to the mainland or not. One can only guess about this by observing the behavior of the crew slowly swarming around on board. One of the “interpreters” joyfully says: “It’ll do!”

I run to Pensao to get my things. Time is running out. My belongings were collected in advance, and now I mentally say goodbye to Ibo, following “at a trot” along the stone embankment, which has been preserved since Portuguese times. The same “interpreter” is coming towards you. He waves his hand, saying he can slow down: “It won’t work! The wind has changed. Tarde!”

By one o'clock in the afternoon the people again reached out to the scows. New clients have also increased. The local "Sadko" also trades here. It offers "real" pearls and "real" silver items. But for some reason, not to the aborigines, but to a lonely white wanderer. However, I politely decline all offers. Another half hour, and the helmsman invites passengers onto the barge. We were lucky: we walked to the landing not in waist-deep water, but only knee-deep. Our ship is a “mixed type”: cargo-passenger. The owner of the dhow has his own interests: he transports local goats to the mainland: there they will go for high price. Grabbing another goat by the legs, he throws it onto his shoulders and walks towards the scow. The goat screams in a bad voice, but does not twitch: the ocean is not to be trifled with.

There is a complete set on board: “Goats and people are mixed together.” And you can set the sail. But the helmsman hesitates: he senses water in his gut, and his sixth sense tells him that he needs to wait a little longer. And for sure: already on the way, we shuffle the bottom on the sand several times from acceleration, but by inertia, coasting, we safely slip through the bank. And if they had left earlier, they would have been stranded...

We approach the shore, but I don’t recognize the bay. This is a surprise: it turns out that dhows from Ibo go to Tendenangwe (Tandanhangue) - a village located six kilometers from Kissanga. The scow enters the backwater and runs firmly aground: the tide has begun to ebb. Passengers move to " water procedures": up to their waists in "" water, with junk on their heads, they slowly trudge towards the shore, trying not to prick their feet on sharp roots. It's good for the locals: everyone here has relatives and shelter in a thatched hut. And the nearest hotel is in the same Kissanga, and the chaps will be there only tomorrow. But for experienced islanders, after a rush through the mangroves, it’s child’s play. It’s worth walking for an hour and a half along the rolled dirt road, along the flooded fields with salt plantations, and we enter into a competition: can we do it? Can I find the desired hotel before dark?

The owner of the pensao greets the guest enthusiastically. The circle is closed. “I knew that you would be with us again, you wouldn’t go anywhere. You are the first tourist here from...” I do not mind. Really, where can I go? After all, the chapa will only go to Pemba in the morning. The housewife lights a kerosene lamp; the local engine has broken down today. Under the flickering light of the flame, I enter my “installation data” into the registration book. The owner is encouraging: perhaps a new engine will be delivered soon.

The island of Mozambique is located in the western part Indian Ocean off the coast of southeastern Africa. The length of the island is 3 km, the area is 1.5 km². Population - 54,135 people (as of 2005, predominantly Makua). Population density - 36,210 people/km² (as of 2005). The island suffers from overpopulation. Administratively, it is part of the province of Nampula.

The island is separated from the African mainland by a kilometer-long strait through which a bridge was built.

Story

The island of Mozambique was used in the early Middle Ages as a trading base by Arab and Persian merchants. Vasco da Gama was the first European to visit the island, which was then ruled by a sheikh, in 1498 Musa ben Mbiki(from whose name the word came Mozambique). In 1506, the Portuguese, under the leadership of commanders Tristan da Cunha and Alfonso Albuquerque, captured the city and the island. In 1508, a fort was built on the northern tip of the island San Sebastian, building materials for which, at the direction of Albuquerque, were delivered from Europe.

Thanks to convenient geographical location the city of Mozambique was the largest harbor in the region. For several centuries, the main source of income here was the slave trade. IN late XIX century, the city of Mozambique became the residence of the Portuguese governor-general and the Catholic bishop; the consulates of a number of European states were located here. Were built governor's palace, cathedral, customs building, large shops of merchants from , . The city was divided into two parts: European and native. Until 1898, the city of Mozambique was the administrative center of the Mozambique colony, then the “capital” was moved to Lourenço Marques.

Mozambique Island is an island off the coast of Mozambique, in the north of the country. The city on this island is also called. The colony and then the state of Mozambique got its name from this island. Since 1991, the island and the city of Mozambique have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The island of Mozambique is located in the western Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeast Africa. The length of the island is 3 km, the area is 1.5 km². Population - 54,135 people (as of 2005, predominantly Makua). Population density - 36,090 people/km² (as of 2005). The island suffers from overpopulation. Administratively, it is part of the province of Nampula. The island is separated from the African mainland by a three-kilometer strait, across which a bridge was built in 1969.

Story

The island of Mozambique was used in the early Middle Ages as a trading base by Arab and Persian merchants. The Portuguese Vasco da Gama was the first European to visit the island in 1498, which was then ruled by Sheikh Musa ben Mbiki (from whose name the word Mozambique originated). In 1506, the Portuguese, under the leadership of commanders Tristan da Cunha and Afonso Albuquerque, captured the city and the island. Fort San Sebastian was built on the northern tip of the island in 1508. Construction Materials
for which, at the direction of Albuquerque, they were delivered from Europe. Due to its convenient geographical location, the city of Mozambique was the largest harbor in the region. For several centuries, the main source of income here was the slave trade. The authorities sent exiles to the island; in particular, he lived on the island last years Brazilian poet, lawyer, public figure and one of the leaders of the conspiracy in Minas Gerais, Tomas Antonio Gonzaga, exiled here. At the end XIX century the city of Mozambique became the residence of the Portuguese governor-general and the Catholic bishop; the consulates of a number of European states were located here. A governor's palace, a cathedral, a customs building, and large stores of merchants from Germany, France, and Switzerland were built. The city was divided into two parts: European and native. Until 1898, the city of Mozambique was the administrative center of the Mozambique colony, then the “capital” was moved to Lourenço Marques (now Maputo).
Architectural monuments of the 16th-19th centuries have been preserved in Stone Town. (Chapel of Our Lady - 1522, the oldest building built by Europeans south of the equator, Fort San Sebastian, the largest hospital in Africa - 1877, etc.), characteristic residential street development. Technical and financial assistance in restoring and preserving the city’s heritage is provided by organizations from Norway (the city of Bergen), Japan, and others.

Information

Water area: Indian Ocean
A country: Mozambique
Region: Nampula
Square: 1.5 km²
Population (2005): 54,135 people
Population density: 36,090 people/km²