The Year Book and Guide to East Africa
Edited Annually by A. Gordon-Brown, F.R.G.S.
for the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company Limited
1953 Edition
Robert Hale Ltd., London
Dar es Salaam
DAR ES SALAAM (The Haven of Peace), 48 m. from Zanzibar, 203 from Mombasa, and 1,798 m. from Durban, is the Capital of Tanganyika Territory and the Seat of Government. It is the terminus of the Central Railway Line which runs to Kigoma, on Lake Tanganyika, 772 miles away, and to Mwanza on Lake Victoria.
Population (1948):– Europeans, 1,726; Asiatics, 16,270; Africans, 50,765.
Hotels:– New Africa; Splendid; New Palace; Railway; Rex; Central; Metropole; Beatrix; Maison Blanche; Chez Margot; Dolphin.
Restaurants:– Chez Clo; Ocean Breeze, 7 m. distant (dancing).
Newspapers:– Tanganyika Standard (English); Tanganyika Opinion (Gujerati and English); daily and weekly. Habari za Leo; weekly; and Mambo Zeo (Swahili); monthly.
Union-Castle Agents:– Smith, Mackenzie & Co., Ltd.; J. W. Kearsley (E.A.) Ltd.
Transport:–
Boat Hire from vessels in the harbour, from 50 cents.
Railway Station ½ m. from centre of town.
Aerodrome 3 m. south of the town. Daily services to Nairobi, Mombasa, Tanga and Zanzibar, connecting with the trunk services of the B.O.A.C. E.A. Airways offices are in Tancot House, Main Avenue.
Buses from near the post office serve the railway station and the aerodrome.
Taxis:– Sh. 1 per mile per person; Shgs. 10 per hour, with minimum one hour. Rank near the War Memorial; opposite Railway Station and in Said Barghash Street.
Visitors' Information Bureau, across the road from Landing Stage, is also a branch office of the R.E.A.A.A.
Entertainments:– Cinemas: Avalon, Empire, Odeon and Azania, Occasional dances. Dramatic and Musical Society.
Clubs:– The Dar es Salaam; the Gymkhana (including Lawn Tennis, Cricket, Football, 18-hole Golf Course, etc.); British Legion; European Rifle Association; Swimming; Yacht; Railway; Goan. The East African Mountain Club has its headquarters at Marangu in the Moshi District.
Climate:– See Meteorological Tables in Kenya Section. Though hot, the climate is not unhealthy. The rainy seasons are from March to May and October to December. Malaria is endemic, and precautions should be taken.
Township Data:– Rates are 12½% on the annual rental value of the property. Ample water supply. Waterborne sewerage. Electricity supplied by a private company.
Dar es Salaam was only a fishing village when it was occupied by the Germans in 1884. It succeeded Bagamoyo as Capital of German East Africa in 1891.
The town is beautifully situated on the shores of a palm-fringed bay, and contains a number of handsome buildings. Among these are Government House, the European Hospital and the Museum. Beyond the Hospital, the road leads to Oyster Bay, a rapidly developing suburb with a fine view over the sea.
In Acacia Avenue, the principal street, are some good shops, including Oriental stores where curios may be bought. Locally made curios include wooden figures, book rests, mats, etc.
The Harbour, which is completely landlocked, is entered by a narrow channel, on the side of which lies the wreckage of a floating dock sunk there by the Germans in 1914 to close the port. Vessels of over 550 feet in length may enter. Landing and shipping is handled principally by lighters and dhow traffic is handled at a separate wharf. Deep water berths are to be constructed.
Dar es Salaam is still the centre of a considerable native shipping industry. Dhows ply from here to the lesser harbours of the East African coast and collect mangrove bark, grain, copra and other tropical produce from many river mouths and creeks. A considerable trade is still maintained with the Arabian coast by means of the picturesque Arab dhows whose arrival is a regular yearly feature of the port.
Churches:– There are Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Greek Orthodox and Lutheran places of worship. The Roman Catholic Cathedral (St. Joseph's) is opposite the Landing Stage.
The Botanical Gardens are large and attractively laid out. At the northern end facing the sea is the European Hospital; and at the other end is the George V Memorial Museum. This contains specimens of native arts and crafts, clothing and weapons, as well as geological specimens and a natural history collection.
Swimming:– The Swimming Club, on the Azania Front, is open to visitors. They are warned not to swim too far from the beach during the high tides owing to sharks. Good sea fishing is available. Bathing excursions are sometimes arranged from the ship to Honeymoon Island in the Bay.
Monuments:– There is an outstanding war memorial to Africans who fell in the 1914-18 War in Acacia Avenue, which takes the form of a bronze figure of an Askari. There is another War memorial on the Azania Front.
The Shirazi ruins at Msasani in Dar es Salaam Municipality have been declared a monument and have been made a reserved area under the Monuments Preservation Ordinance.
Education:– The Government Junior European School takes children up to ten years.
Roads:– Until 1928, the town had been completely cut off from its hinterland except for the railway, and even now the roads are often impassable in the wet season. The roads are northwards to Bagamoyo, 45 m., Handeni, 169 m., Korogwe, 212 m. and Tanga, 271 m. (dry weather only); to Morogoro, 145 m., and to Utete, on the Rufiji River (dry weather only). A new road parallel with the coast runs part of the way to Bagamoyo and then branches off towards Morogoro (not yet complete).
Excursions are arranged while the vessel is in port to places of interest in the town; to Observation Hill; to the Pugu Hills and the Capuchin Mission; and, when conditions permit, to Bagamoyo and Morogoro.
At Msasani there are remains of a civilisation which existed a thousand years ago. It can be reached by taking the road leading north out of the town, towards Oyster Bay, following bus route 8. At the end of Roosevelt Road a track leaves to the left and the way to the tombs, etc., is clearly signposted. Distance is about 10 miles.
No. 1 bus for Oyster Bay by a circular route provides a pleasant evening excursion.
See also: The Union-Castle Line