ABSTRACT The interaction between the Swahili Coast of the present-day Tanzanian coast and other parts of the Indian Ocean world dates back to the first millennium AD. This commercial communication resulted in the rise of several coastal city-states (stonebuilt towns), some of which date back to the tenth century. Unfortunately, some of these states started to collapse during the second half of the second millennium and the majority of them is in a ruinous state. These material remains, which according to the Tanzania’s Antiquities Act of 1964 deserve legal protection, have not been studied comprehensively mainly to establish their conservation history. The current article addresses this problem, and by analysing documents, it establishes the conservation history of monuments and historic buildings of the Swahili Coast in Tanzania. Research results indicate that some built heritage sites started decaying during the fourteenth century AD. Because of recognising the importance of these built heritage sites, communities of the region embarked on strategies to care these built heritage sites. This observation contradicts the European conventional wisdom maintaining that, in Africa, conservation of built heritage sites such as monuments and historic buildings began in the nineteenth century and was propagated by European colonialists.

中文翻译：

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坦桑尼亚斯瓦希里海岸建筑遗址保护历史

摘要 现今坦桑尼亚海岸的斯瓦希里海岸与印度洋世界其他地区之间的相互作用可以追溯到公元第一个千年。这种商业交流导致了几个沿海城邦（石头建造的城镇）的兴起，其中一些可以追溯到 10 世纪。不幸的是，其中一些国家在第二个千年的后半期开始崩溃，其中大部分处于毁灭状态。这些物质遗骸根据 1964 年坦桑尼亚的古物法应受法律保护，但尚未进行全面研究，主要是为了确定其保护历史。本文针对这个问题，通过分析文献，确立了坦桑尼亚斯瓦希里海岸古迹和历史建筑的保护历史。研究结果表明，一些建成的遗址在公元 14 世纪开始腐烂。由于认识到这些建筑遗产地的重要性，该地区的社区开始采取战略来保护这些建筑遗产地。这一观察结果与欧洲的传统观点相矛盾，即在非洲，纪念碑和历史建筑等建筑遗产的保护始于 19 世纪，并由欧洲殖民主义者宣传。