 Swahili house in Ujiji | |
  Ujiji Shown within Tanzania | |
| Location | Kigoma-Ujiji District, Kigoma Region,  Tanzania |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 4°54′40″S29°40′30″E / 4.91111°S 29.67500°E /-4.91111; 29.67500 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Founded | 18th Century |
| Cultures | Manyema,Jiji,Ha,Swahili andArab |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Endangered |
| Ownership | Tanzanian Government |
| Management | Antiquities Division, Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism[1] |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Swahili |
| Official name | Ujiji Historic Town |
| Type | Cultural |
Ujiji is the oldest town in westernTanzania and is located inKigoma-Ujiji District ofKigoma Region.[2] Originally aSwahili settlement and then anArab slave trading post by the mid-nineteenth century nominally under theSultanate of Zanzibar,[3] In 1900, the population was estimated at 10,000 and in 1967 about 41,000.[4] The site is a registeredNational Historic Site.[5]
Historically the town that is now Ujiji was the home of theJiji people. The settlement has close connections with theSwahili community ofBuyenzi north of Lake Tanganyika in Burundi.[6]Ujiji is the place whereRichard Burton andJohn Speke first reached the shore ofLake Tanganyika in 1858. It is the site of the famous meeting on 10 November 1871[7] whenHenry Stanley found Dr.David Livingstone, and reputedly uttered the famous words “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” Livingstone, whom many thought dead as no news had been heard of him for several years and who had only arrived back in Ujiji the day before, wrote “When my spirits were at their lowest ebb, the good Samaritan was close at hand, for one morning [my servant] Susi came running at the top of his speed and gasped out, ‘An Englishman! I see him!’ and off he darted to meet him. The American flag at the head of the caravan told of the nationality of the stranger. Bales of goods, baths of tin, huge kettles, cooking pots, tents, etc., made me think, ‘This must be a luxurious traveller, and not one at his wits’ end like me.’”[8]
A monument known as the "Dr. Livingstone Memorial" was erected in Ujiji to commemorate the meeting. There is also a modest museum. There is a former slave route near the market. In 1878, theLondon Missionary Society established their first missionary post on the shore of Lake Tanganyika at Ujiji. Some inBurundi claim the location of the famous meeting is a few miles south of the former capitalBujumbura. However, theLivingstone-Stanley Monument in Mugere actually marks a visit the two men made 15 days later on their joint exploration of northern Lake Tanganyika.[citation needed]
The culture of the people and town overall isSwahili in nature. Most residents are Muslim and of diverse ethnic backgrounds.[9]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
