Ras Mkumbuu Ruins
Coordinates: 5°11′44″S 39°39′13″E / 5.195516°S 39.6536993°E
The Ras Mkumbuu Ruins are located on the west coast of the Tanzanian island of Pemba, part of the Zanzibar Archipelago specifically in South Pemba Region. They lie close to the village of 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 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.
James Kirkman, the first archeologist to excavate here in the 1950s, proposed to connect his findings with the "Qanbalu" mentioned by the Arab explorer Al-Masudi around 900 but could not identify remnants earlier than the 13th century .[1] A possible identification of Pemba Island as a whole and especially Ras Mkumbuu with Qanbalu is still discussed.[2]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Reid, Lane: African Historical Archaeologies (2014), p. 135f
- ^ Oliver, Oliver & Fagan: Africa in the Iron Age: C.500 BC-1400 AD (1975), p 193f mention the identity as established, other authors not so
- Finke, J. (2006) The Rough Guide to Zanzibar (2nd edition). New York: Rough Guides.
 | This Zanzibar-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
 | This African archaeology article * is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
 | This Islam-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
- Pemba Island
- Archaeological sites in Tanzania
- Former populated places in Tanzania
- Zanzibar stubs
- African archaeology stubs