The Mtoni Palace Publication is part of the larger Mtoni Conservation Project, which was originated by the Department of Archives, Museums and Antiquities of Zanzibar and Mtoni Marine Center in order to safeguard the conservation of Mtoni Palace. Above parties have asked ArchiAfrika to coordinate and execute part of their project, namely the editing of a publication on Mtoni Palace.
The Mtoni Palace Publication is part of the larger Mtoni Conservation Project, which was originated by the Department of Archives, Museums and Antiquities of Zanzibar and Mtoni Marine Center in order to safeguard the conservation of Mtoni Palace. Above parties have asked ArchiAfrika to coordinate and execute part of their project, namely the editing of a publication on Mtoni Palace. ArchiAfrika has involved three students from the Technical University of Delft to do part of the necessary research.
Historical background Mtoni Palace
Beit el Mtoni, which literally means the palace on the creek, was the first and largest palace on Zanzibar during the reign of Sultan Said who shifted his residence from Muscat in Oman to Zanzibar in 1828. The core of the palace is probably even older. There is mention of an older mansion owned by a Saleh B. Haramil al-Abry, who is supposed to be the person who introduced clove growing to the island.
Around a thousand people lived in the palace and its direct surroundings during the thirties to seventies of the nineteenth century. During the1880s the palace was abandoned and fell into ruin.
In Mtoni palace princess Salme was born. She would become world famous as Emily Ruete, the wife of a German merchant, who eloped with her to Hamburg. In her beautiful book – Leben in Sultanspalast – Salme paints a vivid and detailed picture of the bristling palace during her youth, and, later on her sentimental journey back to Zanzibar in 1885, its decay and ruin. The palace played a crucial role during the heyday of the history of Zanzibar, when it was a place of immense wealth and great power.
Mtoni Palace belongs, together with the old fort, Beit el Sahel (the Palace Museum) and a few mosques to the eldest buildings on the island.
Mtoni Conservation Project
In January 2005 the long time existing public-private cooperation between the Department of Archives, Museums and Antiquities of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar (DAMA) and Mtoni Marine Center (MMC) was sealed by a formal agreement on a 10-year lease of the palace premises to the latter party. Mtoni Marine is one of the older tourist hotels in Zanzibar and located right next to the Mtoni Palace Ruins. DAMA and MMC both aim at preserving the oldest palace on Zanzibar. Therefore, their partnership is referred to as the Mtoni Conservation Project.
Since the early nineties of last century, maintenance and repair works have been jointly undertaken by the two above parties. The site was cleared, weeds were removed from the ruins and salvaging works have been carried out. Recently, piecemeal reconstruction of the palace baths has commenced. These works are carried out by tradesman who have followed a restoration course, and under supervision of DAMA.
MMC has cleared the gardens, replanted them with original species and laid out a natural-historical trail through the grounds, which has opened the site to the public.
Although the cooperation has proven to be successful, the efforts rely on meager funds and a lot of goodwill. The available means are unfortunately not sufficient to prevent further decay of the palace. Constantly exposed to the elements, the original structure is being severely damaged.
The Mtoni Conservation Project has therefore decided to start a new project which aims at boosting the conservation budget by creating an income-generating activity: the publication of a guidebook on Mtoni Palace. ArchiAfrika has been asked to do the editing of this publication.
A guidebook for Beit el Mtoni
As a first step towards self-reliance of the Mtoni Conservation Project, a guidebook is being prepared, that will raise awareness under the public and institutions and simultaneously create revenue. The guidebook is meant for a broad public. To the envisaged readers belong tourists to Zanzibar, amateurs of African architecture and history and scholars on the subject. The book is foreseen to be distributed locally but also available abroad.
The book will consist of a historical and an architectural part. The historical essay will zoom in on the advent of Omani rule on Zanzibar, the life of Princess Salme and the decay of the palace.
The architectural part will consist of an architectural analysis of Omani architecture in a Zanzibari context, the description of the palace into detail along with a virtual reconstruction and ideas on the future of the ruins. Foreseen authors will be both Zanzibar’ and foreign experts in the field.
Involvement TU Delft
In order to find information on the initial shape and construction of the palace, extensive research needs to be done. Therefore, the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands has been involved in the project.
Three master students of the TU Delft have decided to do their final thesis on Mtoni Palace. Karin Meijer, Susanne Pot and Xiaoguang Zhang, have traveled to Zanzibar to do research at the National Archives, to talk to local experts and execute excavations under supervision of Dr. Abdurahman M. Juma at the palace premises. The outcome of their research will be used in the Mtoni Palace Publication.
All three students will graduate on a personal design for the future use of Mtoni Palace. This could vary from a complete reconstruction of the old palace, to minimal measures for the protection of the existing ruins. The final designs will be handed over to the Mtoni Conservation Project Team and might give them new ideas for the future conservation of Mtoni Palace.
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Project Team Mtoni Conservation Project
Department of Archives, Museums and Antiquities (DAMA) - Dr. Hamad Omar
Mtoni Marine Center - Nicola Colangelo
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Project Team Publication
Mtoni Conservation Project:
Stefanie Schötz – overall project coordinator Zanzibar
ArchiAfrika:
Anne-Katrien Denissen – editing project coordinator ArchiAfrika
Antoni Folkers – chief editor
