Abdul Sheriff


Abdul Sheriff is a professor of history at the University of Dar es Salaam and the author of The History and Conservation of Zanzibar Stone Town and coeditor of Zanzibar under Colonial Rule. He is also the principal curator of Zanzibar Museums.


Author of…

Cover of Slaves, Spices & Ivory in Zanzibar

Slaves, Spices & Ivory in Zanzibar

Integration of an East African Commercial Empire into the World Economy, 1770–1873

The rise of Zanzibar was based on two major economic transformations. Firstly slaves became used for producing cloves and grains for export. Previously the slaves themselves were exported. Secondly, there was an increased international demand for luxuries such as ivory.…

Editor of…

Cover of Zanzibar under Colonial Rule

Zanzibar under Colonial RuleOn Sale

Zanzibar stands at the center of the Indian Ocean system’s involvement in the history of Eastern Africa. This book follows on from the period covered in Abdul Sheriff’s acclaimed Slaves, Spices and Ivory in Zanzibar.…


Cover of The History and Conservation of Zanzibar Stone Town

The History and Conservation of Zanzibar Stone Town

Zanzibar Stone Town presents the problems of conservation in its most acute forms. Should it be fossilized for the tourists? Or should it grow for the benefit of the inhabitants? Can ways be found to accommodate conflicting social and economic pressures? For its size, Zanzibar, like Venice, occupies a remarkably large romantic space in world imagination.…

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