Island stories: digging Zanzibar's Arabian past
The stories of Emirati seafarers who sailed from the Gulf to east Africa inspired a team of archaeologists to excavate in Zanzibar and now their work is reshaping our understanding of the island's history and the Indian Ocean trade
Nick Leech
August 10, 2017
An archaeologist with Abu Dhabi's Tourism and Culture Authority, Omar Al Kaabi sieves for finds with a local member of the excavation team in Stone Town, Zanzibar.
Just in time, Mariyam Al Hammadi managed to record her grandfather’s recollections of his seafaring youth.
Now in his 80s, Mohamed Ali Mubarak Al Hammadi’s memory has recently faded, but when she interviewed her grandfather earlier this year, the old man regretted that Mariyam had not come to him earlier.
https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/island-stories-digging-zanzibar-s-arabian-past-1.618489
