DUNGA RUINS
The Dunga Palace, built around 1845, was the palace of the last Afro-Shirazian king of the island, Mohammed bin Ahmed el Alawi.
Dunga is a small town located equidistant from Chwaka Bay and Stone Town (approx. 15 km). Peaceful and discreet, it is home to some rarely visited ruins: the Dunga Palace. Built around 1845, it was the residence of the island's last Afro-Shiraz king, Mohammed bin Ahmed el Alawi. The name refers to the Shiraz dynasty that emerged from Persian colonization in the 10th century, descended from the "Mwinyi Mkuu", the great chief who ruled Zanzibar for almost sixty generations, even under Portuguese, Arab and British domination.
The palace, then an imposing two-storey structure, included a mosque, baths and the royal residence. Legend has it that slaves were sacrificed: buried alive in the foundations, or killed and their blood mixed with mortar to reinforce the walls. Those who refused the order were thrown into a pit. In 1914, human remains were actually discovered during excavations.
Today, all that remains are a few walls, sections of staircase and scattered fragments, a far cry from the former grandeur. The king lived at Dunga until his death in 1865. His son Ahmed, aged 15, succeeded him, but soon died of smallpox. His two daughters married wealthy Arab merchants, and the dynasty died out with the abandonment of the palace. It is still said that the king used magic mango wood djembes, engraved with Arabic inscriptions, once on display at Stone Town's House of Wonders before it closed.
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