The meaning of Kuumbi in Kiswahili is ‘great hall’, an apt description of the large chambers that look like lofty foyers within the cave site. Archaeological excavations carried out in Kuumbi cave between 2004 and 2005 yielded several Stone Age tools and animal remains of a hunting and fishing population. These remains comprise bones of giraffe, zebra, bovids, baboon, snakes, and large snails. Several potsherds, beads, and coins point to the fact that some form of international trade happened along the coast in historic times. Occupation of the cave site has been dated to 20,000 BCE and domestication of chicken and cattle was said to have begun in this area around the 4th millennium BCE.
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Shrine within Kuumbi Cave
© Akinbowale Akintayo -
A view from inside the cave
© Akinbowale Akintayo -
Interior of the cave with team from the Department of Museum and Antiquities in Zanzibar
© Akinbowale Akintayo
Kuumbi cave site is said to have been “romantically” discovered by two lovers who were looking for a place to sit and have a chat. For some years, the cave has served as a sacred ritual site for the residents of Jambiani and Makunduchi.
Sources
1. Horton, M. C. and Clark, C. M. (1985). Archaeological Survey of Zanzibar. Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa [Link]
2. Shipton, C., Roberts, P., Archer, W. et al. (2018). 78,000-year-old record of Middle and Later Stone Age innovation in an East African tropical forest. Nature Communications [Link]
3. Wynne-Jones S. & LaViolette A. J. (2017). The Swahili World. Routledge.