Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's largest city and economic hub, boasts a bustling history and a vibrant culture. The harbor city is located in a bay on the Eastern Indian Ocean coast in Africa. Its name, an Arabic phrase meaning “house of Peace,” reflects its rich heritage and diverse influences.
Aerial view of Dar es Salaam, showcasing its urban landscape.
Origins and Early Development
In the 19th century, 'Mzizima (Swahili for "healthy town") was a coastal fishing village on the periphery of Indian Ocean trade routes. The first European to land in the town of Mzizima, Dar es Salaam's former name, was Albert Roscher in 1859. In 1865 or 1866, Sultan Majid bin Said of Zanzibar began building a new city very close to Mzizima and named it Dar es Salaam. The name is commonly translated from Arabic as "abode (home) of peace", from dar ("house"), and es salaam ("of peace").
However, Dar es Salaam fell into decline after Sultan Majid’s death in 1870. It was revived in 1887 when the German East Africa Company established a station there. The city started to bloom economically with the establishment of the German East Africa Company and the construction of the Central Railway Line at the beginning of the 20th century.
Colonial Era
In the East African campaign of World War I, British and Empire forces captured German East Africa. As Germany lost World War I, German East Africa was captured by the British and from then on was referred to as Tanganyika. Dar es Salaam was retained as the territory’s administrative and commercial centre. From then on was referred to as Tanganyika. Under British indirect rule, European areas such as Oyster Bay and African areas (e.g., Kariakoo and Ilala) developed separately from the city centre. The town’s population also included a large number of south Asians.
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Key Colonial Landmarks and Architecture
- German and British landmarks
- Architecture
- Village Museum
- National Museum
- Botanical Gardens
- St. Joseph's Cathedral
- White Father's Mission House
- Old State House
St. Joseph's Metropolitan Cathedral, a historical landmark in Dar es Salaam.
Post-Independence and Shift to Dodoma
Political developments, including the formation and growth of the Tanganyika African National Union, led to Tanganyika's independence from colonial rule in December 1961. Dar es Salaam continued to serve as its capital, even when Tanganyika and the People's Republic of Zanzibar merged to form Tanzania in 1964. In 1973, provisions were made to relocate the capital to Dodoma, a more centrally located city in the interior. Dar es Salaam, once the capital of Tanzania, lost its status of capital city to Dodoma in 1974.
In 1967, the Tanzanian government declared the ujamaa policy, which made Tanzania lean towards socialism. The move hampered the potential growth of the city as the government encouraged people not to move into cities and instead remain in Ujamaa socialist villages. By the 1980s, the policy failed to combat the increasing poverty and hunger that Tanzania faced, and had delayed necessary development. This situation led to the liberalisation policy of the 1980s that essentially ended socialism and silenced its proponents within Tanzania's government through political repression.
The story of Dodoma and Dar es Salaam is similar to that of Abuja and Lagos in Nigeria, of Brasília and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, and even Washington, D.C. and New York City in the United States, to name just a few. In many of these cities, there is always an economic capital which is the lung of the country, which dwarfs the political capital in size and energy.
Modern Dar es Salaam
Until the late 1990s, Dar es Salaam was not regarded in the same echelon as Africa's leading cities like Cairo, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Lagos, or Addis Ababa. During the 2000s, businesses opened and prospered; growth expanded in the construction sector, with new multi-storey buildings, bridges and roads; Tanzanian banks headquartered in the city became better regulated; and the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange expanded. The port is prominent for entrepot trade with landlocked countries like Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, and the eastern portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Dar es Salaam is Tanzania's most prominent city for arts, fashion, media, film, television, and finance. Dar es Salaam is Tanzania's most important city for both business and government. The Dar es Salaam Central Business District is the largest in Tanzania and comprises the Kisutu, Kivukoni, Upanga and Kariakoo areas. The downtown area is located in the Ilala district.
The city is also Africa's 3rd fastest growing (9th fastest in the world) with the population rate increasing annually by 4,39%. Dar es Salaam's population is expected to hit the 5 million mark in the year 2020. The city has population of different ethnic background, African, European and a large South Asian community.
The Julius Nyerere International Airport is also very important, because it connects the city with other African countries, India, the Middle East and Europe.
Dar es Salaam is the economic center of East Africa. The city is Tanzania's most important city for government and business, holding half of Tanzania's industrial employment. Dar es Salaam is Tanzania's main base for government offices as well as diplomatic missions and non-governmental organizations.
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Climate and Geography
Dar es Salaam experiences tropical climatic conditions, typified by hot and humid weather throughout much of the year due to its proximity to the equator and the warm Indian Ocean. The city has generally a tropical climate, characterized by hot and dry weather. It has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen: Aw/As). The annual rainfall is about 1,100 mm (43 in). The city has two distinct rainy seasons, “the long rains” between April and May, and “the short rains” between October and November.
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Map showing the location of Dar es Salaam within Tanzania.
Demographics
When the 2012 national census was taken, the city had a population of 4,364,541, about ten percent of the country's total. More than three-quarters of the city's population live in informal settlements. The literacy rate in the city was 96%, while the national average was 78%.
Tourism and Culture
Dar es Salaam and its surrounding offers great activities, such as snorkeling and diving at the Bongoyo Island Marine Reserve. It offers great activities, such as snorkeling and diving at the Bongoyo Island Marine Reserve. The reserve, which is located just seven km north of the city, has many secluded islands, beautiful beaches and various marine species. The city's most important sites are all remnants of its colonial past, such as German and British landmarks and architecture. Other sites which are worth a visit include the Village Museum, the National Museum, numerous picturesque markets, the Botanical Gardens, St. Joseph's Cathedral, the White Father's Mission House and the old State House.
Cultural Highlights
- Tingatinga painting style
- Nyumba ya sanaa ("House of Art")
- Live dance music (muziki wa dansi)
- Taarab music
- Bongo Flava (Tanzanian hip hop and rhythm and blues)
Dar es Salaam has two of the five museums that make up the National Museum of Tanzania consortium, namely the National Museum proper and the Makumbusho Cultural Centre & Village Museum. The National Museum is dedicated to the history of Tanzania; most notably, it exhibits some of the bones of Paranthropus boisei that were among the findings of Louis Leakey at Olduvai. The Makumbusho Cultural Centre & Village Museum, located in the outskirts of the city on the road to Bagamoyo, showcases traditional huts from 16 different Tanzanian ethnic groups. There are also examples of traditional cultivation, as well as daily traditional music and dance shows.
Transportation and Infrastructure
The harbor city is Tanzania's transportation hub with a railway system and several highways. Public minibus share taxis (dala dala) are the most common form of transport in Dar es Salaam and are often found at the major bus terminals of Makumbusho, Ubungo and other areas of the city. The government has been introducing a metro bus system, Dar es Salaam bus rapid transit (mwendo kasi in Kiswahili). The Port of Dar es Salaam is Tanzania's busiest, handling 90% of the country's cargo. The main terminal is located west of Dar es Salaam's central business district in north Yombo Vituka along the Nelson Mandela Road. The Julius Nyerere International Airport is the principal airport serving the country, with three operating terminals.
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