World Heritage: Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara

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Photo taken on Dec. 1, 2013 shows a relic site on the island of Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania. Located on two islands close to each other just off the Tanzanian coast about 300km south of Dar es Salaam are the remains of two port cities, Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara. From the 13th to the 16th century, the merchants of Kilwa dealt in gold, silver, pearls, perfumes, Arabian crockery, Persian earthenware and Chinese porcelain, much of the trade in the Indian Ocean thus passed through their hands. Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara provide exceptional architectural, archaeological and documentary evidence for the growth of Swahili culture and commerce along the East African coast from the 9th to the 19th centuries, offering important insights regarding economic, social and political dynamics in this region. The Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara was listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1981. Since 2004, it is on the UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger. (Xinhua/Chen Duo)