Historical sites

1. Olduvai Gorge (Arusha): The Oldupai Gorge is a famous historical site in Tanzania and across the world because it has the remains of the oldest human being. This site is important because it is where the skull of the oldest human on earth was discovered. This skull is known as Zinjanthropus boisei. This discovery was done by Dr Louis Leakey and his wife, Dr Mary Leakey, who conducted archaeological excavation in Oldupai Gorge in 1959.

2. Engaruka (Arusha): This historical site is found in the Ngorongoro district. It is one of the most important Iron Age archaeological site in eastern Africa. It is also famous for having the remains of the earliest agricultural irrigation systems used in the past.

3. Isimila (Iringa): This historical site is found 20 kilometres from Iringa town. The site is important because it contains remains of the Old Stone Age tools. These tools were used by people of that area.

4. Kilwa (Lindi): This historical site is located in Lindi Region. The site is important because it contains remains of the old buildings built by Arabs, including mosques as well as traces of the slave trade.

5. Kondoa-Irangi (Dodoma): This site is found in the Kondoa district, Dodoma Region. The site contains various cave drawings and rock paintings. These drawings depict the past human environment of hunters who lived during the pre-colonial or ancient time.

6. Kaole and the Old Bagamoyo City (Pwani): These are two major historical sites located in Pwani Region.

   1. Kaole ruins are famous for the remains of mosques, jewels and other things brought and used by merchants from the Middle East. Kaole was among the main commercial centres along the coast of East Africa before the colonial period. Foreigners from Asia and Arab countries such as Oman and the Persian Gulf arrived at the Kaole area for commercial activities. It is believed that the remains of buildings and jewels in the Kaole area were used in the 13th century.

   2. The Old Bagamoyo City was one of the largest centres of the slave trade. Slaves collected from various parts of the country were sent to Bagamoyo before being shipped to Zanzibar, Arabia, and elsewhere. As a result, Bagamoyo contains remains of the buildings used for the slave trade. This area also contains remains of the first Catholic Church in Tanganyika. In the beginning, the missionaries settled in this area and built churches. In addition, there are cemeteries of early missionaries who died in Bagamoyo. There are also memories of the German colonial rule. All these remains are kept for future generations.

Some historical sites in Tanzania

The following are the advantages of using historical sites for keeping historical information:

1. They preserve ancient records that enable historians to interpret them and reconstruct the history of the places and their people. Historical sites keep actual social, cultural, and economic remains of the past people;
2. They attract tourism;
3. They provide employment to people working in those sites;
4. They provide information to researchers who study the past, such as historians and archaeologists; and
5. They preserve the culture of the area concerned.

The following are the challenges of using historical sites to keep records of historical events:

1. Some materials and tools in these sites can easily be destroyed if they are not well preserved;
2. Some of these sites are not easily accessible because they are located in remote areas;
3. A few specialists can interpret the remains in the sites; and
4. These sites can be easily destroyed by natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, or hurricanes.