Island of Mozambique
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How it came to be
The Island of Mozambique, at the mouth of Mossuril Bay in northern Mozambique, took part in intercontinental trade from the 10th century. A town existed by the 14th century at the latest, home to Swahili-speaking Muslims. The island's name comes from Mussa Bin Bique, a sultan in the time of Vasco da Gama.
In 1507 the Portuguese set up a port and naval base here, and the island was the first seat of their colonial government until 1898. The Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte, built in 1522, is considered the oldest European building in the southern hemisphere. The Fort of São Sebastião, built in 1558-1620, is the oldest surviving fortress on the island, which held out against Dutch attacks in 1607 and 1608.
The northern half of the island is a town of stone and lime, the southern half a macuti town of traditional African houses roofed with palm leaves. A bridge to the mainland was built in the 1960s. The island was inscribed in 1991.
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