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| Sunset from Forodhani Garden, Zanzibar |
In the Sun kissed romantic island of Zanzibar, Forodhani Garden is a jewel in the crown of Stone Town. It is a beautiful garden. It is also a lovely park with open water front. Its name is Forodhani Garden or Forodhani Park. In Swahili language Forodhani means 'Customs'. The original Zanzibar Customs House was located close to the Park wherefrom the name Forodhani Park might have been originated.
It is also called Jubilee Park. The name Jubilee Park was derived from the fact that the park was created in 1935, at the time of the 25th anniversary of the coronations (06 May 1935) of His Majesty King George V and Sultan Khalifa of Zanzibar, who ruled Zanzibar from 9th December 1911 to 9th October 1960.
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| Sultan Khalifa bin Harub of Zanzibar |
It is sandwiched between the remains of formidable old fort and Indian Ocean. On the shore side there are high walls of old fort which once protected the island from sea invaders and controlled the sea route business. One can wonder about the House of Wonder, located right across the road. On the other side, the boundary is demarked by the waves of Indian Ocean. A visit to the Forodhani Gardens offers a stroll on the walkways along the garden path.
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| First Day Cover by Tanzania Post |
Though the garden was in existence since long, it was given a facelift by Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC). The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) was founded in 1988 with registered office at Geneva, Switzerland. As an agency of Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) it works to uplift and for the welfare of poor and downtrodden people, especially those living in the continents of Africa and Asia. Aga Khan's benevolent and generous donations came forward for the renovation work of the Forodhani Garden, as it provided livelihood of many poor families. This is in line with the principle of AKTC for socio-economic and cultural revitalization of Muslim community.
Renovation work was done as a part of 1994 Conservation Plan which spanned three areas viz. Kelele Square, Forodhani Park and Mizingani Seafront. The initial project cost for renovation of Forodhani Park alone was estimated to be US$ 2.4 million but at the time of completion (2008 – 09) it had exceeded US$ 3.0 million. Aga Khan did a ground breaking ceremony on the auspicious day of 31st July 2009 for its renovated look.
The original design of the park was retained while a few new fittings and fixtures were added during the course of restoration work. For example, the lighting of the park was in the design of cast iron lamps which were then brought from Glasgow.
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| Silhouette of Bandstand |
At the center of original Jubilee Park there was a Bandstand and a white concrete arabesque arch nearby which was erected in the year of 1956 in the honor of visiting her Highness Princess Margaret.
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| Bandstand on a postage stamp of Tanzania Post |
Those were restored as per original design. The dome at bandstand adds charm in between the green expanse of the park. Palm trees were planted in the spaces among the original geometrical designs of fountains and bandstand. Work included new ornamental landscaping, paving of walkways, improved drainage system, civic amenities like sewerage and garbage disposal.
One can visit the garden at any part of the day. The flower beds in the garden with light and shade of big trees is something special for the tourists who love serenity and quietness.
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| Cannons and Cats |
Cannons, which spewed fire in their glorious years, were left in disuse to decay. However, they were restored and reinstalled on the shore line as six-cannon battery.
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| Six pack series |
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| Dividing line of horizon |
The idyllic beauty of the sea front with sailing boats, ranging from traditional boats to mechanized catamarans is a scene to be enjoyed. Watching sunset across the vast ocean is mesmerizing.
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| Sunset across an island |
There is another interesting activity to watch out at the sea front near the time of sunset. A group of teenager local boys appear from nowhere. They indulge in diving and swimming in the water of Indian Ocean. Like sprint runner, they would start running from the shore towards the water and after crossing the barrier stone wall their body would float in air till it splashes in the water. Some would dive straight into the water. A few would perform somersault in the midair before plunging in the water. They would swim back; climb the stone wall to repeat the exercise. It is a great fun to watch them performing such acrobatics movements. These young divers do it only for fun to outsmart each other in a friendly competition. There are two specialties about this fun game. Firstly it is boy’s sport and secondly it appeared to be in promptu, as the divers were arriving in all kind of dresses but swimming trunk!
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| Fun at waterfront |
Though the park is open throughout the day, people normally throng at the park in the evening. Local ladies in their colorful dresses add color to the twilight rays of setting Sun. A park in the day time turns into an open air food court, every day throughout the year. It is an interesting metamorphosis of the park only for a few hours in the evening, from evening to around 10 pm. The atmosphere is like a carnival with plenty of food items. The park is quite big, yet at times there may be overcrowding, particularly during the festive seasons like Eid holidays and others long weekends.
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| Temptation! |
An amazing out of the world experience is assured at the evening food court. If you like street food then this is the ultimate place. Ambience is incredible with mind boggling array of local fast food. Locals and foreigner tourists rub shoulders with each other to grab a bite of the fast food offered by the vendors.
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| Gastronomic galore |
Majority of the stalls offer similar menu but that is not an issue till you zero down to one stall (to start with) based on your instinct. Afterwards, you can tickle your taste buds with various tastes at the stalls of different vendors. Price is reasonable. Food is cooked right in front of you. As darkness sets in, the aroma of cooked food overpowers the hypnotic scents of the flowers of the garden. Aroma of fresh cooking wafts in the air and mingle with salty moisture carried by the sea breeze from Indian Ocean.
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| Food stalls in a row |
Interestingly all the chefs don professional attire starting from apron to cap. Stalls sell potato chips, samosas, cutlets, chapatis, chicken Shawarma and endless variety of Zanzibar Pizzas. There is Nutella Pizza too. Though they are called pizzas, they are no way even distant cousin of Pizzas. The ‘manufacturing process’ is somehow a bit similar to Mughlai Parantha of India!
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| Zanzibari Pizza Preparation |
Samosas too are different from Indian counterpart. Though they are triangular in shape and have pyramidal look, they are relatively flat around the center. There are varieties too viz. veg samosa, beef samosa etc.
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| Bread basket |
There are stalls that specialize in local cuisine, both of Swahili and Zanzibari varieties. These stalls can be easily distinguished from the others from the distinctive crowd of local buyers. These stalls offer cow soup, kuku chips (grilled chicken with French fries), chipsi mayai (omelet with French fries), Mishkaki (sheek or sheesh kebab), chipsi and mishkaki (French fries with a small kebab of beef or chicken), Urojo (soup with potato balls), pilau (pulao or spiced rice) etc.
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| Crabs and claws! |
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| Climber crabs of Zanzibar |
Array of sea food is simply mind boggling. Food stalls are stacked with crabs, shrimps & lobsters, squids & octopuses, and many varieties of fishes.
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| Kalamari, crab and corn |
Tables are laid with lobster claws, tentacles of octopuses, fishes with yawning open mouth etc. All the vendors claim that the seafood is fresh. However, there are some elements of doubt. Even for certain items, re-heating is done in the name of cooking.
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| Favorite fruits |
Vegetarians need not worry. Though not plenty, compared to non-vegetarian stuff, they have ample choice of menu like grilled sweet potatoes, bananas and puffy coconut bread.
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| Sugarcane juice punch |
Though alcohol flows freely in every nook and cranny of Zanzibar, it is not allowed inside the garden whatsoever may be the reason. However to quench the thrust fresh sugarcane juice, extracted through age old hand operated turn wheel machines, right in front of you, is readily available.
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| Hand operated sugarcane juice extraction machine |
One can add pinch of additional sugar and punch of lime juice or ginger juice as per choice. At the end, one can have Sweet Zanzibar Pizza as desert to satisfy sweet tooth.
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| Welcome back again |
These foodstuffs are not recommended for those who are health and hygiene conscious. Not all the stalls maintain highest level of cleanliness and quality. Some of the food served may be partly baked and not properly cooked, particularly at the time of peak business. A few have complained about falling sick afterwards and have blamed it on the poor quality of food. However, complainants are only a few while hundreds visit and eat food every day. After all those who savor street food they are willing to experiment with such delicacies with certain degrees of risk factor. Probably it is worth.
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Disclaimer:
The information provided in the article is for general informational purposes only. All information is provided in good faith. This is only for the sharing of knowledge of Philately with philatelist fraternity. No commercial angle, whatsoever, is involved. Under no circumstances I shall have any liability for reliance on any information provided in the story.
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