Mikindani
Sign in to saveMikindani (Mji wa kale wa Mikindani in Swahili) is a historic coastal town located in Mtwara-Mikindani District of Mtwara Region in Tanzania. The name comes from the Swahili word mikinda which means "young coconut trees". Therefore, the term "Mikindani', literally means "the place where there are young coconut trees" in old Swahili language. Mikindani is part of the city of Mtwara and is governed by the Mtwara Mikindani Municipal Council. The site is a registered National Historic Site.
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Key facts
- Ancient site.name
- Mikindani
- Ancient site.image
- Street scene, Magengeni Mikindani.jpg
- Ancient site.caption
- Street Scene in Mikindani Historic Town
- Ancient site.map_type
- Tanzania
- Ancient site.relief
- yes
- Ancient site.location
- Mtwara-Mikindani District, Mtwara Region,
- Ancient site.altitude_m
- 10
- Ancient site.type
- Settlement
- Ancient site.material
- Coral rag
- Ancient site.built
- 9th century CE
- Ancient site.cultures
- Swahili
- Ancient site.architectural_styles
- Swahili & Islamic
- Ancient site.condition
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human settlement
- Country
- Tanzania
- Located in
- Mtwara Region
- Time zone
- UTC+03:00
via Wikidata · CC0
Article
12 sectionsContents
- Overview
- History
- Early history
- 11th Century to 16th Century
- 18th and 19th Century
- Geography
- Economy
- Non-governmental organizations
- Images of Mikindani
- See also
- References
- External links
Mikindani (Mji wa kale wa Mikindani in Swahili) is a historic coastal town located in Mtwara-Mikindani District of Mtwara Region in Tanzania. The name comes from the Swahili word mikinda which means "young coconut trees". Therefore, the term "Mikindani', literally means "the place where there are young coconut trees" in old Swahili language. Mikindani is part of the city of Mtwara and is governed by the Mtwara Mikindani Municipal Council. The site is a registered National Historic Site.
==Overview== About 50 kilometres north of the Mozambique border, in the Tanzanian Mtwara Region, is the location of settlement of Mikindani. Mikindani was a thriving port in the 19th century, when it participated in the trades of ivory, gum copal, and slaves for the Indian Ocean plantation system. It served as the starting point for Dr. David Livingstone's final expedition into the interior of Africa in 1866 during that time period. Kilwa, a significant Swahili city, has been the subject of archaeological studies in the area surrounding Mikindani. Mikindani participated in Indian Ocean trade during the first millennium CE, used marine resources with mixed farming subsistence practises, and extensively shared coastal trends.