Qanbalu Ruins
Encyclopedia
The ruins of Qanbalu or Quanbalu are located on the west coast of the Tanzania
n island of Pemba, part of the Zanzibar Archipelago
. They lie close to the village of Ngagu
at the end of a long narrow peninsula known as Ras Mkumbuu
, which lies to the northwest of the town of Chake-Chake
.
The ruins are the remains of Africa's oldest known Muslim
town, which may have been founded as early as the eighth century. Early writers mention the town and Matambwe Island, which lies to the north, as the two major trading centres of Pemba. Both these sites have been carbon dated, with results indicating that they were in use in the ninth and tenth centuries. The town seems to have declined for reasons not yet known around the sixteenth century.
The ruins mainly date from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, though there are indications that they were built over older foundations. Notable among these ruins are those of a large mosque
which was for some time the largest structure of its type in sub-Saharan Africa.
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
n island of Pemba, part of the Zanzibar Archipelago
Zanzibar Archipelago
The Zanzibar Archipelago consists of several islands lying off the coast of East Africa in the Indian Ocean. There are two main islands, plus a host of smaller islets that surround them.-Main islands:...
. They lie close to the village of Ngagu
Ngagu
Ngagu is a village on the Zanzibari island of Pemba. It is located at the end of a narrow peninsula known as Ras Mkumbuu, which lies on the west coast immediately to the north of Chake-Chake Bay. The town is located close to the Quanbalu Ruins...
at the end of a long narrow peninsula known as Ras Mkumbuu
Ras Mkumbuu
Ras Mkumbuu is a long narrow peninsula on the central west coast of Pemba Island, one of the two main islands of Tanzania's Zanzibar Archipelago. The town of Chake-Chake, one of the island's main population centres, is located immediately to the south of it on Chake-Chake Bay...
, which lies to the northwest of the town of Chake-Chake
Chake-Chake
Chake-Chake is a city located centrally on the Tanzanian island of Pemba. It is sited in the centre of a deep indentation in the west coast called Chake-Chake Bay....
.
The ruins are the remains of Africa's oldest known Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
town, which may have been founded as early as the eighth century. Early writers mention the town and Matambwe Island, which lies to the north, as the two major trading centres of Pemba. Both these sites have been carbon dated, with results indicating that they were in use in the ninth and tenth centuries. The town seems to have declined for reasons not yet known around the sixteenth century.
The ruins mainly date from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, though there are indications that they were built over older foundations. Notable among these ruins are those of a large mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
which was for some time the largest structure of its type in sub-Saharan Africa.