Cultural sightseeing in Tanzania. What to visit - museums, temples, castles and palaces

Tanzania is the place where African, Arab and European cultures come together. The capital of the state is located in the city of Dodoma, but the largest and most modern settlement is the city of Dar es Salaam. The National Museum of Tanzania has an exposition that will tell about the evolution of the mankind. The most ancient exhibits go back for two million years. According to some experts, the skeleton of an ancient man displayed in the museum has been found at that time. Also, there is an extensive exhibition in the museum that tells about the customs of different peoples of the country. It displays items from the colonial era. The exhibition also tells about the slave trade, due to which many settlements went empty. There are halls dedicated to the struggle for the independence and the unification of Tanganyika and Zanzibar in Tanzania. A section of natural science and a large garden operate in the museum.

There are other museums a few kilometers from Dar es Salaam. Travelers get into a real village, where different types of Tanzanian dwellings are represented. The small museum of the Declaration will help tourists to learn the history of colonial Tanzania, as well as the struggle of its inhabitants against pressure of other cultures. Tourists can get acquainted with the documents thanks to which the country gained the right to independence. Many monuments of the colonial architecture have survived in Dar es Salaam. One of the most amazing buildings is the German Lutheran Church in the Bavarian style, which was built in the late 19th century. There are many temples of different confessions in the city. The Anglican Church of St. Alban, the Catholic Cathedral, the Greek Orthodox Church, Hindu temples and mosques are among them.

The palace of Sultan Majid, as well as the building of the railway station, which was built by German colonizers, are cultural treasures of Dar es Salaam. There is a monument to Askari that commemorates the memory of all African soldiers who died during the First World War. In Dodoma, the capital of the country, there is the largest mosque in the country, which is the Gaddafi mosque. It is built in the classical Arabic style. Ceilings and friezes along the perimeter of the hall are decorated with traditional Arabic carvings. The mosque can accommodate about 3 000 people at the same time. Halls are divided into male and female parts. The city can boast with the main geological museum of the country. The Sikh temple is always open to travelers. Servants will hospitably meet and even treat you with tea and sweets. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

You can visit lots of cultural attractions in another city, Bagamoyo. The life in it is much calmer than in the capital and Dar es Salaam. The city has been founded on the shores of the Indian Ocean. This settlement was used by the Germans as a fort and was the final destination in the country in the era of the slave trade. Despite its size, it is rich in historical sights and is a candidate for the UNESCO World Heritage List. Tourists will be able to visit the fortress, where slaves were kept, the ruins of ancient Arab mosques, and the grotto of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The latter was built by slaves as a gratitude to God after the abolition of the slave trade. The city has the memorial of Livingstone, a missionary and a fighter for the freedom of the local population.

The main cultural attraction of the island of Zanzibar is the Stone City that combines architecture in Arab, European and African styles. The most important building in the city is the residence of the Sultanate, the Palace of Miracles. It was named that way after electricity and water supply were set in it. Another building, which is well visible from the shore and towering over the city, is the English fortress. It was built around the 18th century. The place had a strategic importance for a long time. Today, it is the center of the cultural life of the city and the island as well. Its amphitheater hosts concerts, music shows, and performances. The Anglican church now stands in place of the former slave-trade area. However, there are still several cells in memory of the most terrible pages in the history of Zanzibar.