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Art of Africa

  • Browse this content
  • A beginner’s guide
    • Peoples and cultures
    • Historical overview: to 1600
    • Historical overview: from the 1600s to the present
    • Aesthetics
    • The human figure, animals and symbols
    • Form and meaning
    • Religion and the spiritual realm
    • Art and politics
    • Rites of passage
    • Masquerade basics
    • Art and the individual
    • African art and the effects of European contact and colonization
    • The Reception of African Art in the West
    • Western appreciation of African art
  • East Africa and the Horn of Africa
    • Browse this content
    • About East Africa
    • Ethiopia
      • Browse this content
      • Aksum
        • The kingdom of Aksum
        • City of Aksum
        • Aksumite Coins
      • Christian Ethiopian art
      • An Ethiopian icon
      • Gospel Book
        Getty Conversations
      • Illuminated Gospel
      • Sheila Hicks on The Harp of Praise by Ethiopian scribe Baselyos
      • Julie Mehretu, Stadia II
    • Tanzania
      • Kilwa Kisiwani
      • Kilwa pot sherds
    • Kenya
      • A Qur’an manuscript from coastal East Africa
      • Magdalene Anyango N. Odundo
        • Symmetrical Reduced Black Narrow-Necked Tall Piece
        • Untitled (Vessel)
  • West Africa
    • Browse this content
    • About West Africa
    • Beginner’s guide
      • Spoons from West Africa in Renaissance Lisbon
    • Burkina Faso
      • Ruins of Loropéni
      • Mask (Bwa peoples)
    • Ghana
      • Browse this content
      • Asafo flags
      • Golden Stool (Sika dwa kofi), Asante Peoples
      • Linguist Staff (Asante peoples)
      • Adinkra cloth (Asante peoples)
      • Kente cloth (Asante and Ewe peoples)
      • Memorial Head (Akan peoples)
      • Akua’ba Female Figure (Akan peoples)
      • El Anatsui
        • Untitled
        • Old Man’s Cloth
      • Paa Joe, Coffin the Shape of a Nike Sneaker
      • Paa Joe: Gates of No Return
      • Coffin in the shape of an eagle
    • Guinea
      • Headdress: Female Bust (D’mba) (Baga peoples)
    • Ivory Coast
      • Browse this content
      • Owie Kimou, Portrait Mask (Mblo) of Moya Yanso (Baule peoples)
      • Pair of Diviner’s Figures (Baule peoples)
      • Male and Female Poro altar figures (Senufo peoples)
    • Liberia
      • Man’s robe (boubou or kusaibi)
      • Ceremonial Ladle (Dan peoples)
    • Mali
      • Browse this content
      • Saving Timbuktu’s manuscripts
      • Timbuktu
      • Abdoulaye Ndoye, Ahmed Baba
      • Djenné
        • Seated Figure (Djenné peoples)
        • The terracotta sculpture of Djenné-Djenno
        • Great Mosque of Djenné
      • Tomb of Askia
      • Dogon peoples
        • Couple (Dogon peoples)
        • Mask (Dogon peoples)
        • Ritual Container (Dogon peoples)
      • Bamana peoples
        • Kòmò Helmet Mask (Bamana peoples)
        • Male and Female Antelope Headdresses (Ci wara) (Bamana peoples)
        • Mother and Child & Seated Male with Lance (Bamana peoples)
        • Guancho Diarra, woman’s wrapper (bògòlanfini)
      • Photography
        • Photographic postcards of West African masquerade
        • Seydou Keïta, Untitled (Seated Woman with Chevron Print Dress)
        • Malick Sidibé, Nuit de Noël (Happy Couple)
        • Malick Sidibé’s Vues de dos
          Getty Conversations
    • Nigeria
      • Browse this content
      • Igbo-Ukwu
        • Igbo-Ukwu, an overview
      • Ife
        • Kingdom of Ife: sculptures from West Africa
        • Head of a ruler, Ife
        • Ife uncovered
      • The Kingdom of Benin
        • The Benin “Bronzes”: A Story of Violence, Theft, and Artistry
        • Benin art: patrons, artists and current controversies
        • Benin Plaques
        • The Imagery of Power on Benin Bronze Plaques
        • Benin and the Portuguese
        • Benin Queen Mother Pendant Mask (Edo peoples)
        • Benin Ivory Mask (Edo peoples)
        • Benin plaque: Equestrian Oba and Attendants
      • Yoruba peoples
        • Ere Ibeji Figures (Yoruba peoples), an introduction
        • Ibadandun woman’s wrapper, unrecorded Yoruba artist
        • Ceremonial robe (agbádá ìlèkè), Yoruba artist
      • Shrine (Iphri) (Western Ijo peoples)
      • Olowe of Ise
        • Veranda Post (Yoruba peoples)
        • Veranda Post of Enthroned King and Senior Wife
      • Male Figure, Ikenga
      • Janus-Faced Headdress (Ejagham or Bale peoples)
      • “Mami Wata” figure, Igbo artist
      • Uche Okeke
      • Yinka Shonibare, The Swing (After Fragonard)
    • Republic of Benin
      • Buffalo figure (Fon peoples)
      • Bocio (Fon peoples)
      • Royal palaces of Abomey
      • Fagbite Asamu of Idahin and Falola Edun, Helmet Mask (Gelede)
    • Senegal
      • Stone circles of Senegambia
    • Sierra Leone
      • Browse this content
      • Lidded Saltcellar (Sapi peoples)
      • Stone head (Kisi peoples)
      • Helmet Mask (Mende peoples)
      • Cotton Hammock (Vai peoples)
    • Togo
      • Mud tower-houses (takienta), Koutammakou region
  • Central Africa
    • Browse this content
    • About Central Africa
    • Cameroon
      • Browse this content
      • Palm Wine Vessel
      • Elephant Mask
      • Pageantry in the Palace—Bamum Kingdom, Cameroon
      • Figure of a Chief (Lefem) (Bangwa)
    • Democratic Republic of the Congo
      • Browse this content
      • Crucifix
      • Female Mask (Chokwe peoples)
      • Kongo peoples
        • Power Figure (Kongo peoples)
        • Seated Figure (Tumba) (Kongo peoples)
      • Kuba peoples
        • Portrait of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul (Kuba peoples)
        • Double Prestige Panel (Kuba peoples)
      • Lukasa (Memory Board) (Luba peoples)
      • Buli Master, Prestige Stool: Female Caryatid (Luba or Hemba peoples)
      • Figurative Harp (Mangbetu peoples)
      • Headdress (Yaka peoples)
      • Tshibumba Kanda Matulu, Le 30 juin 1960, Zaïre indépendant
    • Angola
      • Chair or throne (Chokwe peoples)
    • Gabon
      • Browse this content
      • Kota reliquary (mbulu ngulu)
      • Female Reliquary Figure (Fang peoples)
      • Male Reliquary Figure (Fang peoples)—video
      • Punu-Lumbo mask, from Gabon
  • North Africa
    • Browse this content
    • About North Africa
    • Algeria and Libya
      • Browse this content
      • Rock Art in North Africa
      • Rock Art in the Green Sahara (Africa)
      • Running Horned Woman, Tassili n’Ajjer
      • Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus
      • Ancient Sabratha
      • Al Qal’a of Beni Hammad (mosque)
    • Egypt
      • Browse this content
      • Ancient Egypt
      • Coptic period (3rd–7th century C.E.)
        • Byzantine Egypt and the Coptic period, an introduction
        • Silk panel
        • Glass dish
        • Abu Mena
    • Sudan
      • Browse this content
      • Ancient Nubia and the Kingdom of Kush, an introduction
      • Pylon of the Nubian Lion Temple at Naga
      • King Piye and the Kushite control of Egypt
      • Meroitic period of the Kingdom of Kush
      • Head of Augustus at Meroë
      • Medieval Nubian Kingdoms, an introduction
    • Tunisia
      • Browse this content
      • Architecture and ritual in the Ghriba synagogue, Tunisia
      • The Great Mosque of Kairouan
      • Kairouan (from UNESCO)
    • Morocco
      • Amazigh (Berber) jewelry
  • Southern Africa
    • Browse this content
    • About Southern Africa
    • Namibia
      • Browse this content
      • Origins of rock art in Africa
      • Apollo 11 Cave Stones
    • South Africa
      • Browse this content
      • uKhahlamba Drakensberg rock paintings (San)
      • Married Woman’s Apron (Ndebele peoples)
      • Thethana, South Sotho artist
      • Beaded collar (ingqosha), Xhosa artist
      • Santu Mofokeng, Train Churches
      • William Kentridge, drawing from Tide Table (Soho in Deck Chair)
    • Zimbabwe
      • Great Zimbabwe
    • Madagascar
      • Martin Rakotoarimanana, Mantle (Lamba Mpanjaka)
      • Silk textile (lamba akotofahana), Merina peoples

Art of Africa

  • Browse this content
  • A beginner’s guide
    • Peoples and cultures
    • Historical overview: to 1600
    • Historical overview: from the 1600s to the present
    • Aesthetics
    • The human figure, animals and symbols
    • Form and meaning
    • Religion and the spiritual realm
    • Art and politics
    • Rites of passage
    • Masquerade basics
    • Art and the individual
    • African art and the effects of European contact and colonization
    • The Reception of African Art in the West
    • Western appreciation of African art
  • East Africa and the Horn of Africa
    • Browse this content
    • About East Africa
    • Ethiopia
      • Browse this content
      • Aksum
        • The kingdom of Aksum
        • City of Aksum
        • Aksumite Coins
      • Christian Ethiopian art
      • An Ethiopian icon
      • Gospel Book
        Getty Conversations
      • Illuminated Gospel
      • Sheila Hicks on The Harp of Praise by Ethiopian scribe Baselyos
      • Julie Mehretu, Stadia II
    • Tanzania
      • Kilwa Kisiwani
      • Kilwa pot sherds
    • Kenya
      • A Qur’an manuscript from coastal East Africa
      • Magdalene Anyango N. Odundo
        • Symmetrical Reduced Black Narrow-Necked Tall Piece
        • Untitled (Vessel)
  • West Africa
    • Browse this content
    • About West Africa
    • Beginner’s guide
      • Spoons from West Africa in Renaissance Lisbon
    • Burkina Faso
      • Ruins of Loropéni
      • Mask (Bwa peoples)
    • Ghana
      • Browse this content
      • Asafo flags
      • Golden Stool (Sika dwa kofi), Asante Peoples
      • Linguist Staff (Asante peoples)
      • Adinkra cloth (Asante peoples)
      • Kente cloth (Asante and Ewe peoples)
      • Memorial Head (Akan peoples)
      • Akua’ba Female Figure (Akan peoples)
      • El Anatsui
        • Untitled
        • Old Man’s Cloth
      • Paa Joe, Coffin the Shape of a Nike Sneaker
      • Paa Joe: Gates of No Return
      • Coffin in the shape of an eagle
    • Guinea
      • Headdress: Female Bust (D’mba) (Baga peoples)
    • Ivory Coast
      • Browse this content
      • Owie Kimou, Portrait Mask (Mblo) of Moya Yanso (Baule peoples)
      • Pair of Diviner’s Figures (Baule peoples)
      • Male and Female Poro altar figures (Senufo peoples)
    • Liberia
      • Man’s robe (boubou or kusaibi)
      • Ceremonial Ladle (Dan peoples)
    • Mali
      • Browse this content
      • Saving Timbuktu’s manuscripts
      • Timbuktu
      • Abdoulaye Ndoye, Ahmed Baba
      • Djenné
        • Seated Figure (Djenné peoples)
        • The terracotta sculpture of Djenné-Djenno
        • Great Mosque of Djenné
      • Tomb of Askia
      • Dogon peoples
        • Couple (Dogon peoples)
        • Mask (Dogon peoples)
        • Ritual Container (Dogon peoples)
      • Bamana peoples
        • Kòmò Helmet Mask (Bamana peoples)
        • Male and Female Antelope Headdresses (Ci wara) (Bamana peoples)
        • Mother and Child & Seated Male with Lance (Bamana peoples)
        • Guancho Diarra, woman’s wrapper (bògòlanfini)
      • Photography
        • Photographic postcards of West African masquerade
        • Seydou Keïta, Untitled (Seated Woman with Chevron Print Dress)
        • Malick Sidibé, Nuit de Noël (Happy Couple)
        • Malick Sidibé’s Vues de dos
          Getty Conversations
    • Nigeria
      • Browse this content
      • Igbo-Ukwu
        • Igbo-Ukwu, an overview
      • Ife
        • Kingdom of Ife: sculptures from West Africa
        • Head of a ruler, Ife
        • Ife uncovered
      • The Kingdom of Benin
        • The Benin “Bronzes”: A Story of Violence, Theft, and Artistry
        • Benin art: patrons, artists and current controversies
        • Benin Plaques
        • The Imagery of Power on Benin Bronze Plaques
        • Benin and the Portuguese
        • Benin Queen Mother Pendant Mask (Edo peoples)
        • Benin Ivory Mask (Edo peoples)
        • Benin plaque: Equestrian Oba and Attendants
      • Yoruba peoples
        • Ere Ibeji Figures (Yoruba peoples), an introduction
        • Ibadandun woman’s wrapper, unrecorded Yoruba artist
        • Ceremonial robe (agbádá ìlèkè), Yoruba artist
      • Shrine (Iphri) (Western Ijo peoples)
      • Olowe of Ise
        • Veranda Post (Yoruba peoples)
        • Veranda Post of Enthroned King and Senior Wife
      • Male Figure, Ikenga
      • Janus-Faced Headdress (Ejagham or Bale peoples)
      • “Mami Wata” figure, Igbo artist
      • Uche Okeke
      • Yinka Shonibare, The Swing (After Fragonard)
    • Republic of Benin
      • Buffalo figure (Fon peoples)
      • Bocio (Fon peoples)
      • Royal palaces of Abomey
      • Fagbite Asamu of Idahin and Falola Edun, Helmet Mask (Gelede)
    • Senegal
      • Stone circles of Senegambia
    • Sierra Leone
      • Browse this content
      • Lidded Saltcellar (Sapi peoples)
      • Stone head (Kisi peoples)
      • Helmet Mask (Mende peoples)
      • Cotton Hammock (Vai peoples)
    • Togo
      • Mud tower-houses (takienta), Koutammakou region
  • Central Africa
    • Browse this content
    • About Central Africa
    • Cameroon
      • Browse this content
      • Palm Wine Vessel
      • Elephant Mask
      • Pageantry in the Palace—Bamum Kingdom, Cameroon
      • Figure of a Chief (Lefem) (Bangwa)
    • Democratic Republic of the Congo
      • Browse this content
      • Crucifix
      • Female Mask (Chokwe peoples)
      • Kongo peoples
        • Power Figure (Kongo peoples)
        • Seated Figure (Tumba) (Kongo peoples)
      • Kuba peoples
        • Portrait of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul (Kuba peoples)
        • Double Prestige Panel (Kuba peoples)
      • Lukasa (Memory Board) (Luba peoples)
      • Buli Master, Prestige Stool: Female Caryatid (Luba or Hemba peoples)
      • Figurative Harp (Mangbetu peoples)
      • Headdress (Yaka peoples)
      • Tshibumba Kanda Matulu, Le 30 juin 1960, Zaïre indépendant
    • Angola
      • Chair or throne (Chokwe peoples)
    • Gabon
      • Browse this content
      • Kota reliquary (mbulu ngulu)
      • Female Reliquary Figure (Fang peoples)
      • Male Reliquary Figure (Fang peoples)—video
      • Punu-Lumbo mask, from Gabon
  • North Africa
    • Browse this content
    • About North Africa
    • Algeria and Libya
      • Browse this content
      • Rock Art in North Africa
      • Rock Art in the Green Sahara (Africa)
      • Running Horned Woman, Tassili n’Ajjer
      • Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus
      • Ancient Sabratha
      • Al Qal’a of Beni Hammad (mosque)
    • Egypt
      • Browse this content
      • Ancient Egypt
      • Coptic period (3rd–7th century C.E.)
        • Byzantine Egypt and the Coptic period, an introduction
        • Silk panel
        • Glass dish
        • Abu Mena
    • Sudan
      • Browse this content
      • Ancient Nubia and the Kingdom of Kush, an introduction
      • Pylon of the Nubian Lion Temple at Naga
      • King Piye and the Kushite control of Egypt
      • Meroitic period of the Kingdom of Kush
      • Head of Augustus at Meroë
      • Medieval Nubian Kingdoms, an introduction
    • Tunisia
      • Browse this content
      • Architecture and ritual in the Ghriba synagogue, Tunisia
      • The Great Mosque of Kairouan
      • Kairouan (from UNESCO)
    • Morocco
      • Amazigh (Berber) jewelry
  • Southern Africa
    • Browse this content
    • About Southern Africa
    • Namibia
      • Browse this content
      • Origins of rock art in Africa
      • Apollo 11 Cave Stones
    • South Africa
      • Browse this content
      • uKhahlamba Drakensberg rock paintings (San)
      • Married Woman’s Apron (Ndebele peoples)
      • Thethana, South Sotho artist
      • Beaded collar (ingqosha), Xhosa artist
      • Santu Mofokeng, Train Churches
      • William Kentridge, drawing from Tide Table (Soho in Deck Chair)
    • Zimbabwe
      • Great Zimbabwe
    • Madagascar
      • Martin Rakotoarimanana, Mantle (Lamba Mpanjaka)
      • Silk textile (lamba akotofahana), Merina peoples

Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania

by Steven Zucker, World Monuments Fund and Stephen Battle

A conversation with Stephen Battle, World Monuments Fund and Steven Zucker, Smarthistory about the history and architecture of Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania

Cite this page as: Steven Zucker, World Monuments Fund and Stephen Battle, "Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania," in Smarthistory, February 5, 2016, accessed September 30, 2023, https://smarthistory.org/kilwa-kisiwani-tanzania/.
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