Dar es Salaam

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

St Joseph's Cathedral rises behind palms and a street in Dar es Salaam, its spires edged with gold at sunset.

A hot, busy Indian Ocean port where Swahili, Arab, Indian and colonial pasts meet, and the usual gateway to Zanzibar and safari.

The place

Dar es Salaam is the largest city in Tanzania and the capital of its own region, a port on the Swahili coast with more than 7 million people. Its name is Arabic and means roughly 'abode of peace'. The city sits only about 12 m above the Indian Ocean, so the air is heavy and warm for most of the year and a sea breeze is the main relief. Dodoma is now the official capital, yet most government offices and ministries still sit in Ilala, and money, media, film, fashion and music gather here too. Banks and shipping offices crowd the centre beside the harbour and the ferry terminal, and the Posta district takes its name from the main post office. North of the centre, Kinondoni and Msasani spread along the coast, while Kariakoo and Ilala hold older, denser neighbourhoods of trading streets. Across the water, Kigamboni has beaches reached by a short ferry crossing. This is not an easy city to cover on foot. Traffic is thick, pavements come and go, and a short distance on the map can take an hour in a car or minibus. What it offers in return is a working African port at close range: dhows and container ships, mosques and churches within sight of each other, Swahili as the everyday language, and traces of Arab, Indian, German and British rule in the buildings. Most visitors pass through on the way to Zanzibar or the northern safari parks. Those who stay two or three days find a city with a rhythm of its own.

Its story

Dar es Salaam grew from Mzizima, a Swahili fishing village whose name means 'healthy town', on the margins of the Indian Ocean trade routes. Sultan Majid of Zanzibar began building a new town beside the village in 1865 or 1866 and gave it the Arabic name it still carries. The project faltered after the sultan died and the place slipped into decline. It recovered when a German trading company set up a station on the harbour, and Germany then made the town the seat of its East African colony. A railway running inland, built in the early twentieth century, tied the port to the interior and brought in industry and workers. The First World War ended German rule. British and imperial forces took the colony, and Royal Navy ships shelled the city before the German authorities surrendered in the autumn of that war. The territory became British Tanganyika, and Dar es Salaam stayed its capital. Colonial planning kept communities apart: Oyster Bay was laid out for Europeans, while Kariakoo and Ilala developed as African quarters separate from the central district. Those divisions still shape the street pattern and the character of each neighbourhood. The capital role passed to Dodoma in later decades, but the port, the markets and the commercial districts kept the city at the centre of Tanzanian economic life.

What to see

Culture

Dar es Salaam is Tanzania's cultural workshop, and its arts are as varied as its population. The Tingatinga painting style began here: bright enamel pictures of animals and village scenes, now sold in studios and roadside stalls across the city. The Nyumba ya sanaa, or 'House of Art', is a craft centre that promotes Tanzanian makers, and the sculptor George Lilanga left some of his work in its entrance. Music is just as layered. Live dance bands, playing the old muziki wa dansi, remain loved by an older audience. Taarab, with roots in Zanzibar, has found a smaller following. The most popular homegrown sound is Bongo Flava, the local take on hip hop and rhythm and blues, and it pours out of minibuses, shops and bars. Religion is visible in daily life. Mosques, churches and Hindu temples stand in the same districts, and the Muslim call to prayer is part of the soundscape of the coast. Swahili is the shared language, and greetings matter: people expect a few friendly words before business starts, and even a halting 'hujambo' goes down well. Family and community ties are strong, and respect for elders is shown in small gestures. Ask permission before photographing people, especially at markets, religious buildings and ports, and do not take pictures of officials, soldiers or government buildings.

What to wear

Dar es Salaam dresses in cloth with a story. The kanga is a rectangle of printed cotton, usually sold as a pair, with a Swahili proverb printed along one edge; women wrap it as a skirt, shawl or head covering, and give it as a gift at weddings and births. The kitenge is a heavier printed cotton, often taken to a tailor and made into dresses, shirts and suits. On the coast, men wear the kanzu, a long white robe, with an embroidered kofia cap, especially for Friday prayers and festivals. Maasai red checked shukas are common in the souvenir trade, though they belong to a different region. Day to day, most people wear Western-style clothes: office shirts and trousers, jeans, dresses and school uniforms. Tailoring is a point of pride, and younger designers mix kitenge into modern cuts, which feeds the city's fashion and media scene. Visitors should dress for heat and humidity but also for modesty. Light cotton or linen, with shoulders and knees covered, is comfortable and respectful in the streets and the markets. Carry a scarf or shawl for mosques and for religious districts such as old Zanzibari-style quarters. Swimwear belongs on the beach or by a pool, not in town. Sandals suit the pavements, but closed shoes are better for uneven ground, and a hat and sunglasses help in the midday glare.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. June to September is the drier, cooler part of the year and the most comfortable for walking around. The long rains fall roughly from March to May and bring heavy downpours and high humidity, while December to February is hot and sticky.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. Fly to Julius Nyerere International Airport, then take a taxi, a bajaji or a daladala minibus into the centre; ask your accommodation about pick-up. Ferries and fast boats link the harbour with Zanzibar, and the Kigamboni ferry crosses the creek to the south.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources