News - Around the UAE

24 June, 2011 Around the UAE

Sea life museum in the Indian Ocean

The Agha Khan Culture Foundation renovated a number of buildings that represent landmarks in the the City of Stones in Zanzibar. According to the Foundation's website, one of the most important landmarks will be a sea museum for the Indian Ocean, recognizing it as an ocean where many prehistoric trades and legends took place. The museum will consist of two stories, with sections dedicated to the diverse aspects of the geography of the Indian Ocean. The exhibition will focus on its trades, its cultures, the promotion of Arab shipping and the travels of Ibn Battuta, Marco Polo, Ibn Majid, Zheng Hai and others who entered and explored the region. Other sections will depict the invasions by the European powers, pirates and the importance of large trading companies. These sections will shed light on the how Zanzibar, with the start of the engine and the movement of sails, transformed into a place for the trade of cloves for slaves. Models of naval ships, old navigation tools, maps and other original works of art will also be displayed, highlighting the history of trade and culture between Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and the Far East.