Tabora – History, Socio-Economic, Food, Culture and More

Tabora – History, Socio-Economic, Food, Culture and More

Tabora is a capital and municipality, according to the government of Tanzania. Additionally, it’s the administrative home of Tabora Urban District. The population of the district was 226,99,9, according to the 2012 census.

In this article you’ll learn about the history and culture of Tabora, accompanied by tabora photos!

Background

At the start of the 1830s, traders from the coast settled in the region to benefit from the slave and ivory caravan trade. Omani and Swahili traders created Kazeh, near modern-day Tabora, during the 1850s.

In 1870, the Tanzania Tabora population was between 5,000 to 10,000 people living in approximately 50 big square houses. Each home accommodated hundreds of people and had adjacent garden plots, inner courtyards, servant quarters, store rooms, and outside houses for slaves. Nyamwezi villages were sounding the town, providing caravan labor and produce.

During this period, the Sultan of Zanzibar appointed an agent there. It belonged to the Unyanyembe Kingdom. Tabora was a trade centre with traders from the far north, including the Buganda Kingdom. During August 1871, a quarter of the city was razed during an attack by the army of the Nyamwezi ruler, Mirambo. Despite proclaiming the region as a German East Africa in 1885, by the end of late 1891, travellers called it a lawless town, without German colonial administration until late in the year. Being an important station along the Central Line, it grew into an essential administrative centre for central German East Africa (GEA).

By 1916, the colonial battalion had an urgent mint at Tabora Tanzania, producing some pieces of gold and various crude brass and copper GEA rupee smaller coins Mint with a “T” mark. In the period of the Tabora Offensive during  East Africa’s World War I campaign, Belgian Congo (Force Publique)’s colonial army commanded by General Charles Tombeur annexed Tabora on 19 September 1916 following heavy fighting for10 days and nights.

Shops owned by Indians with people roaming around in year 1906
Shops owned by Indians with people roaming around in year 1906

Tabora Tanzania Map

Here is a Tabora region map:

Tabora region map
Tabora map

Tabora Region Tanzania

Tabora is divided in seen districts:

  • Igunga district
  • Kaliua district
  • nzega tabora district
  • Sikonge district
  • Tabora municipal
  • Uramo district
  • Uyui district

The Tabora municipal council is at the heart of Tabora urban district.

The Tabora institute is located in the Nzega district. It offers entry level courses of clinical medicine Tabora. Many young professionals that wish to work at a Tabora hospital, study there. 

The Tanzania Public Service College, tpsc Tabora, is located in the Tabora Municipal district. The Tanesco Tabora is also located in the municipal district. 

Socio-Economic Environment

Tabora farms, including its people, primarily depend on agriculture as small-scale tobacco farmers or sustenance farmers. Tabora region Tanzania also has a ballast quarry.

Tabora Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (Tuwasa) manages the water supply, from Kazima and Igombe Dams. River Igombe is a tributary of Malagarasi-Muyovozi Wetlands and River Malagarasi.

Mining

The tabora mining area is mostly focused on gold, copper, iron, nickel, and coal. The largest gold mine in Tabora is the Tulawaka Gold Mine.

Beekeeping

Beekeeping is an important activity in Tabora because the region has a favorable climate and vegetation for honeybees to thrive. The Tabora honey is renowned for its high quality and distinct taste, and is in high demand both locally and internationally. 

Many people can train at the beekeeping training institute Tabora. 

Culture and Food

The streets of Tabora are lined with mango trees planted a century ago by traders from Oman. Tabora is Western Tanzania’s fruit capital, with markets usually full of local produce.

Tabora town has various tiny local restaurants that serve regular Tanzanian food, including Ugali (heavy maize porridge), rice, chips, beans, chicken, or beef. For breakfast or lunch, it is usually chips-mayai (chips with egg), basically, some fried eggs combined with chips. Despite the bland food, it is often served with local chilli sauce to give it some character.

Farmers harversting rice in Igunga, Tabora
Farmers harversting rice in Igunga, Tabora

A mix of pumpkin and peanut butter sauce is a local speciality. This is served with rice pilau widely all over the region.

Snacks include local sambusa (samosa), freshly roasted corn on the cob or goat’s meat on a stick, available throughout Tabora. The huge regional market in Tabora region Tanzania has a wide choice of fruit, including bananas, pineapples, and watermelons.

Tourism in Tabora

Tabora has few tourist attractions. It’s well off the beaten track, with a handful of tourists. Noteworthy is Fort Boma, put up by the Germans towards the end of the 19th century and still used by the Tanzanian military. The railway station is another remnant from the colonial period.

Approximately 9m (15kms) in Tabora’s southwest is the town of Kwihar,known initiallyn as Kazeh,  a vital slave trade town until  the Germans began developing Tabora. Sir Henry Morton Stanley and David Livingstone are some of Kazeh’s famou visitors, who were dazzled. The Livingstone Museum ” is a tiny museum here dedicated to Dr Livingstone, visitors have to pay 2,000 Tanzanian shillings.

Another popular museum is the Tabora gallery, which showcases the art of several local and internationally collected artists.

Igombe Dam, a forest reserve in the area, is another day trip in Tabora.

Hotels in Tabora Tanzania

There are many Tabora Tanzania hotels where you can stay during your visit. Stay close to the city center and enjoy your Tabora vacations.

The best hotel in Tabora is the Orion Tabora Hotel. 

Traveling to Tabora

There are multiple ways to reach Tabora. You can drive from Mwanza to Tabora, which is a 345 km drive. 

The distance between Tabora to Dar es salaam is just 7.4 km away.

You can also look for Dar to Tabora flights. There are many flights operated by air Tanzania Dar to Tabora.

Tabora Jazz Music

Tabora jazz is a fusion of traditional African rhythms and jazz music, with influences from other African and Western musical styles. Tabora Jazz Music has gained popularity both locally and internationally, and has become an important aspect of Tanzania’s cultural heritage. 

The tabora jazz band is well-recognized for their songs. Check out their music here:

Tabora Climate

The climate of Tabora is tropical savanna (Köppen Aw) having two seasons of about equal length. November to April is the wet season with the dry season being May to October.

Check out this chart with the average temperatures of the weather in Tabora: 

Tabora climate data
Tabora climate data

Transport in Tabora

The city is small enough to go across. Regular taxis, bicycle taxis, and motorbike taxis are available.

Tabora Airport
Tabora Airport

Road Network

Tabora currently is served by mainly a paved T18 road from the region of Singida to Kigoma including a partially unpavedT8 road to Mwanzafrom Mbeya going through the district. The west has salt flats that inhibit the connection of a direct road to Kigoma.

By January 2013, the government of Tanzania announced the beginning of work to improve tarmac level on the Urambo Tabora road with the 127km (79 mi) Nyahua-Tabora-Ndono road. By December 2012, Mizengo Pinda, the Prime Minister revealed the intention of the Tanzanian government to upgrade to tarmac level to 359 km (223 mi) of Tabora-Inyonga-Mpanda road before 2015. By August 2011, Harrison Mwakyembe, Deputy Minister for Works, told the National Assembly about the government’s commencement of tarmacking the 115km (71 mi)  Tabora-Puge-Nzega road.

Railway Network

The Central Tabora railway station line serves Tabora with its junction, going to Dar es Salaam in the east, Kigoma in the west to reach Lake Tanganyika and Mwanza on Lake Victoria in the north. Trains depart thrice  regardless of direction.

By 2017, there was a proposed new station along the standard gauge railway.

Airport

Tabora Airport is located 7 km south of the town center. Its renovation ended in 2015.

Precision Air began flights to the airport three thrice a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from Julius Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam in the east and from Kigoma in the west.

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