Mbweni: Missionary and School History

Mbweni’s history brings together missionary work, the founding of a settlement for freed people, and the development of Mbweni St. Mary’s School. Tourist attractions associated with Mbweni also include the Mbweni Ruins and botanical gardens. This local history can be a specific focus when choosing a holiday rental: you can consider whether you are primarily interested in Mbweni’s historical sites during your trip.

Mbweni’s Missionary and School History

On 8 September 1870, Bishop Tozer, Bishop of Zanzibar from 1863 to 1873, purchased a plot of about 30 acres in Mbweni for the Universities’ Mission to Central Africa (UMCA). The purchase was intended to expand missionary work in Shangani, Zanzibar Town. In early 1874, a settlement was founded in Mbweni for people who had previously been enslaved and were then freed. The land purchase and the founding of the settlement are two distinct historical events: first the purchase in 1870, followed by the settlement’s founding in early 1874.

Mbweni St. Mary’s School grew out of an old Arab house. The house was renovated and expanded to establish a girls’ school for the education of formerly enslaved people. It opened on 1 September. For a time, the school became a convent run by UMCA sisters; it closed in 1920.

Stone Town in the wider Zanzibar Urban/West destination

In the wider Zanzibar Urban/West destination, Stone Town offers another historical perspective. As a Swahili coastal trading town, it reflects cultural influences from Africa, the Arab region, India, and Europe. Its historic townscape features narrow, winding streets, groups of low-rise buildings, and large mansions on the seafront. Together with open spaces, these features form an urban settlement that reflects the longstanding trade between the African and Asian coasts.

Stone Town’s buildings are made mainly of coral rag limestone and mangrove timber. The mangrove timber is set in thick lime mortar; the surfaces were then plastered and whitewashed. The architecture and urban planning reflect Swahili, Indian, Arab, and European influences. In the two-storey houses, long, narrow rooms are arranged around open courtyards and accessed by narrow corridors. The exterior façades feature intricately carved double “Zanzibar” doors.

Notable historic buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries include the House of Wonders, Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, Jamat Khan, and Hamamni. The House of Wonders was built as a grand ceremonial palace for Sultan Barghash; Jamat Khan was built for the Ismaili community. Christ Church Anglican Cathedral commemorates David Livingstone’s work to abolish the slave trade and stands on the site of the last slave market.

Discover more destinations: Fumba, Selem, Bububu, Zanzibar City

Back to the wider travel overview: Zanzibar Urban/West.