Zanzibar engraved doors .. Artifacts attract tourists and entice the rich

The wooden doors made on the island of Zanzibar in the Federal Republic of Tanzania, which overlooks the Indian Ocean from the east coast of Africa, arouse the interest of visitors for their artworks and engravings and turned into an important center of tourism in the world thanks to spices gardens and unique culture of living and natural beauty Which attracts millions of tourists every year.

Stone Town, the autonomous capital of the island, has a unique architecture that blends African, Indian and Arab civilizations, and its streets and alleys on the UNESCO World Heritage List resemble labyrinths because of their intertwining and intersection, while its wooden doors with distinctive inscriptions attract visitors' attention.

The manufacture of carved wooden doors decorated with the name of Zanzibar has become a landmark in terms of quality throughout East Africa.It has gained prominence and spread throughout the region and decorated the homes of the affluent in Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mozambique and many countries of the world.

Historical value
Zanzibar's carefully carved doors are a symbol of East African Swahili culture and are a magnet for tourists as well as their artistic and engineering value. Saida Malik, a tour guide at Colors of Zanzibar, says there are two types of doors that have been widely spread in East Africa. They are decorated by local craftsmen and artists.

Malik said that Zanzibar had a large number of doors that have historical value because of their footprint, but the number of these types is decreasing permanently because of the appetite of tourists to buy them, pointing out that one of the two types of doors bearing the artistic value known as Indian or Gujarati doors and they are small in size And being folding.

She pointed out that this type of doors are seen in the streets of busy markets where Indian businessmen live, she said it has a hammer made of copper and Indians added to them handles made of the same metal, which was used to prevent elephants from breaking doors in India.

She stated that although there were no elephants in Zanzibar, the copper handles had been used for decoration and to show the wealth of the owner.He pointed out that the Omanis had ruled Zanzibar for a long time, and designed a special kind known as Arab doors that are generally rectangular and have carved and decorated frames.

Texts on the doors
Most of the writings are "Bismillahi r-Rahmani r-Rahim" or verses from the Koran, and sometimes the name of the resident is also carved on the door.

"Looking at the underside of the side columns, a rough approximation of the age of the door can be made. The oldest doors have a fish-like symbol and are gradually transformed into pineapple fruit in the doors that were later manufactured. But some owners prefer inscriptions to symbolize the iron chains because there is a belief in the island that Chains prevent evil spirits from entering the house. "

She added that the decorations and shapes on the door tell visitors the social status of the owner and his material capabilities, and that the flowers carved above the door shows the number of people living in the house and that many houses with historical wooden doors now use tourist attractions, hotels and restaurants.