Zanzibar's Coffee House: A Forgotten Trade Network

In the 19th century, Zanzibar was famous for cloves and ivory, but a quieter trade in coffee beans and brassware linked the island to the Red Sea and the Gulf. This episode of The History of Zanzibar traces the journey of mocha coffee from Yemeni highlands to Stone Town's bustling harbor, focusing on the role of the Omani merchant Said bin Sultan and the Indian financier Tharia Topan. We explore how coffee houses in Zanzibar became hubs of political gossip and trade negotiation, and how the decline of Red Sea coffee prices in the 1860s reshaped the island's economy. Along the way, we encounter the distinctive brass coffee pots known as dallah, the Swahili coastal trade networks, and the surprising connection between Zanzibar's coffee trade and the rise of the clove boom. This episode offers a fresh lens on the island's history, moving beyond slavery and cloves to reveal a complex web of commerce that stretched from Mocha to Muscat to Stone Town. #Zanzibar #CoffeeTrade #ThariaTopan #SaidBinSultan #Mocha #SwahiliCoast #StoneTown #IndianOcean #19thCentury #Yemen #Oman #Dallah #CoffeeHouse #TradeNetworks #History #FexingoHistory #EastAfrica #RedSea Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo