Mtambwe Mkuu
The ruins of a small island town southwest of Wete, where the largest hoard of Fatimid silver coins in East Africa was found.
Mtambwe Mkuu is on a small intertidal island southwest of Wete. It is one of Pemba's earliest Swahili settlements and flourished around the 10th and 11th centuries. In 1984, more than 2,000 Fatimid and local silver coins were discovered here, which shows that Pemba took part in Indian Ocean trade at an early date. Only the mosque foundations and scattered walls remain. The site is best suited to visitors interested in history. You can wade to the island at low tide, but you need a small boat at high tide. It is best arranged through a guide in Wete.
Opening hours
Daytime, depending on tides
Nearby sights
- Wete
- Fundo Island & Njao Gap
- Chwaka Ruins
- Ngezi Forest Reserve
- Ras Mkumbuu Ruins
- Kidike Flying Fox Sanctuary
- Vumawimbi Beach
- Pemba Clove Plantations