In Zanzibar town you will undoubtedly come into contact with street touts. In Swahili they are known as Papasi (ticks) especially if your arrival is by boat. They are not registered as guides with the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism (ZCT), although they may carry (fake) identification cards, and while a few can be helpful, others can be aggressive and irritating. The main place that you’ll encounter them are at the ferry dock in Zanzibar Town – where they can be quite overwhelming, especially if it’s your first visit to the region – and in the Shangani area around Tembo House Hotel and the post office. Many of the more annoying ones are involved with drug trade and are desperate for money for their next fix, which means you’re just asking for trouble if you arrange anything with them.
One of the bad things they do is trying to lie to visitors who booked upfront, so they can take them to another hotel where they know they’ll get a better commission. If they tell you your hotel of choice no longer exist or is full, or is dirty, or is not safe etc, take it with a grain of salt, as it could well be that they just want to take you somewhere where they know they’ll get a better commission.
Princess Salme Inn offers to its arriving client’s free ferry pick up. If you would prefer this service let us know your arrival time. Another strategy is to make your way out of the port arrivals are and head straight for a taxi. This will not cost you more than $ 2.00 as because Princess Salme Inn is very near to the ferry port. Taxi drivers look for hotel commissions as well, but most are legitimate and once are ‘spoken for ‘, hassles from touts usually diminish.
Most Papasi will hope that your stay on the island will mean ongoing work for them as your guide, so if you do use one to help you find a hotel, they’ll invariably be outside waiting for you later. If you’re not interested in this, explain (politely) once you‘ve arrived at your hotel. If you want a guide to show you around Stone Town it is better to arrange one with your hotel or a travel agency. For any dealings with the Papasi, if you’re being hassled, a polite but firm approach usually works best – yelling or showing irritation, although quite tempting at times, just makes things worse. Another thing to remember is that you have a better chance of getting a discount on your hotel room if you arrive alone, since the hotel can then give you the discount that would have been paid to the touts as commission.
When arranging tours and excursions, never make payments on the street – be sure you’re paying at a legitimate office and get a receipt.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Why Princess Salme Inn?
Why Should You Stay at Princess Salme Inn?
· The hotel Maintains the highest level of cleanness in stone town
· You can get air conditioned rooms
· Has the honest, helpful staff to assist you plan your tours transfer and departure
· Is very near to the port in case you need to travel by a boat
· You can go to any part of stone town by normal walking for not more than 10 minutes
· It has variety of rooms to suit your needs. Including Air Conditioned
· Free Breakfast
· Hot Shower.
· Mosquito Nets.
· Bath Linen & Sandals.
· Standby Generator in case of power failure
· Tea / Coffee 24hrs.
· Pay Television.
· Ceiling Fans.
· You can cook the food you want. The kitchen is available
Some Useful Hints:
· If you are coming by plane, the airport is 8 Km’s from the hotel, so you must take a taxi or public service (Daladala).
· The hotel offers airport pick up transfer for $ 8.00 per vehicle. The vehicle carries up to 4 passengers with luggage, if you are more than 4 the price will change. Let us know your arrival time if you would prefer this service.
· You can also take public transport (Daladala) which will cost around $ 0.20 (very cheap)
· In case you need to ask the taxi driver, the name of the hotel, use two names “Princess Salme Inn or Annex Malindi Lodge” because Princess Salme Inn is a new name and some people might not know it.
· If you are arriving with a boat, the hotel is few steps from the port.
From the New Port, it is nearly 4 minutes, for a normal walk.
You may be followed by a lot of street boys (famously known as “Papasi”) trying to sell you excursions or accommodation, although disturbing but these are not bad guys to be afraid of, if you insist you have a booking they will leave you.
For more information please contact the hotel:
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: www.princesssalmeinn.com
· The hotel Maintains the highest level of cleanness in stone town
· You can get air conditioned rooms
· Has the honest, helpful staff to assist you plan your tours transfer and departure
· Is very near to the port in case you need to travel by a boat
· You can go to any part of stone town by normal walking for not more than 10 minutes
· It has variety of rooms to suit your needs. Including Air Conditioned
· Free Breakfast
· Hot Shower.
· Mosquito Nets.
· Bath Linen & Sandals.
· Standby Generator in case of power failure
· Tea / Coffee 24hrs.
· Pay Television.
· Ceiling Fans.
· You can cook the food you want. The kitchen is available
Some Useful Hints:
· If you are coming by plane, the airport is 8 Km’s from the hotel, so you must take a taxi or public service (Daladala).
· The hotel offers airport pick up transfer for $ 8.00 per vehicle. The vehicle carries up to 4 passengers with luggage, if you are more than 4 the price will change. Let us know your arrival time if you would prefer this service.
· You can also take public transport (Daladala) which will cost around $ 0.20 (very cheap)
· In case you need to ask the taxi driver, the name of the hotel, use two names “Princess Salme Inn or Annex Malindi Lodge” because Princess Salme Inn is a new name and some people might not know it.
· If you are arriving with a boat, the hotel is few steps from the port.
From the New Port, it is nearly 4 minutes, for a normal walk.
You may be followed by a lot of street boys (famously known as “Papasi”) trying to sell you excursions or accommodation, although disturbing but these are not bad guys to be afraid of, if you insist you have a booking they will leave you.
For more information please contact the hotel:
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: www.princesssalmeinn.com
Friday, June 19, 2009
Zanzibar Stone Town Map - Princess Salme Inn
Princess Salme Inn is located in the bustling port area of Malindi, a short walk back from the seafront and 10 minutes from Zanzibar International Airport by taxi. From the roundabout in Malindi, head towards the fish market, Princess Salme Inn is on the right hand side.
The hotel can assist arranging for a taxi.
For further information please contact the hotel:
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: www.princesssalmeinn.com
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Tours
Yes, while in Princess Salme Inn, there is a variety of activities you can do to enjoy your stay in Zanzibar & Tanzania.
There are two ways of doing the tours:
1. By sharing a vehicle with other tourist (from the hotel or from other hotels) you need to check with the receptionist:
This is the cheaper way and many visitors prefer it. However, it is better to arrange it in advance to avoid missing the transport; the busses, which operate this way, have specific departure times.
2. By using your private vehicle:
This is the most convenient way of doing the tours as you can do it at the time you want.
Herewith please find a variety of tours that can be arranged for you with the hotel in advance or while here:
City Tour
(1/2 day morning or afternoon)
This tour will take you to visit the town market, slave market, National Museum of Zanzibar, High Court Building, Slave chambers, old German Consulate, Africa House (former English Club), Tip-Tip House, Kelele Square, old British Consulate, Orphanage Home, Old Fort, Forodhani Gardens, House of Wonders, Sultans Palace (now a Museum), Customs House, the Old Dispensary are among the informative attractions on this flexible guided tour in and around Zanzibar Town
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Spice Tour
(1/2 day morning or afternoon)
Without a guide, you will never find nutmeg sitting on the forest floor or think to peel the bark off a cinnamon tree, but these are some of the fun things to do on a spice tour. The guide may use a knife to carve off a root, branch, or bark and then ask you to smell or taste it to guess what it is. 
The guide may offer you a green coconut and they are very good. Do not expect a Pina Colada, green coconuts do not have sweet milk – it is more like subtly flavored water and the meat is delicious. Along the tour, there is a kiosk where you can buy packaged spices including turmeric, tandoori, vanilla beans, masala, hot chilies, black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks or powder, ginger and others. This tour is highly recommended and includes a visit to the Maruhubi Palace Ruins and Livingstone House.
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Safari Blue
(Full day)
The original and the best “Safari Blue” is a full day excursion using locally made traditional sailing dhows of between 8 to 10 metres in length. 6 passenger-carrying dhows that are finished to the very highest standards and fitted with outboard engines, marine VHF radios, gas inflatable life jackets, sunshade, boarding ladder, waterproof bags and first aid kit.
The excursion starts at the fishing village of Fumba, 30 minutes drive from Stone Town. Fumba is situated in the southwest corner of the island and is an ideal starting point to explore Menai Bay, designated a Conservation Area. The bay has a number of beautiful uninhabited islands and sandbanks and is frequented by humpback and bottlenose dolphins.
On arrival at Fumba, clients are given a briefing on the day and a life jacket demo. We then board the dhows and set off to explore the bay and find the dolphins. We are lucky enough to see dolphins on at least 85% of our trips.
Later in the morning, there is a stop on a sandbank where a set up sunshades and fit the clients with snorkelling equipment. Guides, who can safely lead the snorkelling session and show points of interest, accompany the clients. For beginners or those who are not confident swimmers, we have inflatable snorkelling vests and our guides can give tuition.
After snorkeling clients are given fresh green coconuts before, we move to a desert island for lunch. During the morning a catering boat has gone on ahead to prepare lunch, which is served on teak picnic tables set up beneath the shade of some tamarind trees.
Lunch is a traditional Zanzibari meal and includes a selection of grilled fish, slipper lobster, squid, and rice, tamarind and coriander sauces. A gastronomic fruit tasting follows with a selection of between 10 to 15 different tropical fruits. Cold drinks are available throughout the day and include mineral water, sodas, and beer. Coffee and Amarula liqueur are also served after lunch. Toilets are available on the island.
When the tide allows there can be a visit a beautiful mangrove lagoon where it is possible to swim through the mangrove forest.
A return to Fumba by sails and arrive back at 6 p.m. in time to see the colourful African sunset.
Be advised that there are no formal changing facilities at Fumba so please wear your swimming things under your clothes. Also, be advised to bring waterproof shoes for boarding the dhows and to bring towels, sunscreen, and a spare T-shirt for snorkelling.
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Dhow Cruise
(17:30 – 19:30 Daily)
Traditional sailing boat of the type used for centuries for carrying cargo between Zanzibar and the Arabian Gulf. She has been converted into a beautifully restored sailing vessel, which will give you an insight into the real Zanzibar. She is equipped with safety equipment, sunshade, snorkeling equipment, and boarding ladder. She is approximately 40 feet long and a crew of six will ensure your safety and comfort on board. Sit back and relax, enjoy the Zanzibar breezes and clear turquoise waters. Try your hand at fishing with a local fisherman, have lunch on a sandbank, swim and snorkel. Every day we offer a sunset cruise or an island hop including drinks and food. Private charters are also available on request.
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Prison Island Tour
(1/2 day morning or afternoon)
Prison Island, located just 15 minutes by boat from Stonetown is a popular location for snorkeling because of the shallow depths, variety in coral and marine life, and lack of strong current.
You will be guided around the island on a small trail that goes past ruins. Look for the old prison and watch out for peacocks in the ruins courtyard. You will also pass ruins of an old laundry centre, a natural lagoon that can be quite beautiful if the tide is right and the old quarantine housing. A wealthy slave owner who sent unruly slaves there for discipline first owned the island.
One of the island’s main attractions is the large land tortoises. They are a sight to be seen!
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Jozani Forest And Kizimkazi Tour
(Full day)
This tour will take you to one of the last remaining natural rain forests in East Africa, the Jozani Forest. The forest is full of large exotic trees and harbors different species of Monkeys, especially the Red Colobus monkeys whom are indigenous to the Island.
At your convenience, you will be driven to Kizimkazi South West of Zanzibar to see the Bottlenose and Spinner dolphins. You will have the chance to play with them, doing snorkeling in the area, which is superb. A traditional Zanzibari seafood lunch can be obtained at Karamba Restaurant overlooking the sea, giving breathtaking scenery.
You will have the option of passing to Jozani Forest or just going straight to see the dolphins without passing to Jozani Forest.
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Jozani Forest Tour
(1/2 day morning or afternoon)
This is a tour of four hours, which will take you to one of the last remaining natural rain forests in East Africa. The forest is full of large exotic trees and harbors different species of monkeys, especially the Red Colobus monkeys, whom are indigenous to the Island.
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Nungwi Tour
(Full Day)
This is a full day tour that takes you from your Hotel, then first to Mkokotoni fish auctions and via Mvuleni and Fuckuchani where you can visit the Ruins of the Portuguese Barracks, to Nungwi. At Nungwi, you will also visit a boatyard where Dhows are still built in the traditional way. In the afternoon, there is time to swim and relax on the white sandy, non-tidal, secluded beaches. A very good lunch is available at Ocean Lodge where the afternoon will be spent.
Sundowners on the beach and return back to Zanzibar town during last light.
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Mangapwani Tour
(full day)
You will find pristine white sand, secret honeymoon beaches hidden behind the rocks of the cliff, water sports from snorkeling to canoeing to sailing. Alternatively, you can visit the historic slave caves at either end of the property.
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
There are two ways of doing the tours:
1. By sharing a vehicle with other tourist (from the hotel or from other hotels) you need to check with the receptionist:
This is the cheaper way and many visitors prefer it. However, it is better to arrange it in advance to avoid missing the transport; the busses, which operate this way, have specific departure times.
2. By using your private vehicle:
This is the most convenient way of doing the tours as you can do it at the time you want.
Herewith please find a variety of tours that can be arranged for you with the hotel in advance or while here:
City Tour
(1/2 day morning or afternoon)
This tour will take you to visit the town market, slave market, National Museum of Zanzibar, High Court Building, Slave chambers, old German Consulate, Africa House (former English Club), Tip-Tip House, Kelele Square, old British Consulate, Orphanage Home, Old Fort, Forodhani Gardens, House of Wonders, Sultans Palace (now a Museum), Customs House, the Old Dispensary are among the informative attractions on this flexible guided tour in and around Zanzibar Town
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Spice Tour
(1/2 day morning or afternoon)
Without a guide, you will never find nutmeg sitting on the forest floor or think to peel the bark off a cinnamon tree, but these are some of the fun things to do on a spice tour. The guide may use a knife to carve off a root, branch, or bark and then ask you to smell or taste it to guess what it is. 
The guide may offer you a green coconut and they are very good. Do not expect a Pina Colada, green coconuts do not have sweet milk – it is more like subtly flavored water and the meat is delicious. Along the tour, there is a kiosk where you can buy packaged spices including turmeric, tandoori, vanilla beans, masala, hot chilies, black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks or powder, ginger and others. This tour is highly recommended and includes a visit to the Maruhubi Palace Ruins and Livingstone House.The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Safari Blue
(Full day)
The original and the best “Safari Blue” is a full day excursion using locally made traditional sailing dhows of between 8 to 10 metres in length. 6 passenger-carrying dhows that are finished to the very highest standards and fitted with outboard engines, marine VHF radios, gas inflatable life jackets, sunshade, boarding ladder, waterproof bags and first aid kit.The excursion starts at the fishing village of Fumba, 30 minutes drive from Stone Town. Fumba is situated in the southwest corner of the island and is an ideal starting point to explore Menai Bay, designated a Conservation Area. The bay has a number of beautiful uninhabited islands and sandbanks and is frequented by humpback and bottlenose dolphins.
On arrival at Fumba, clients are given a briefing on the day and a life jacket demo. We then board the dhows and set off to explore the bay and find the dolphins. We are lucky enough to see dolphins on at least 85% of our trips.
Later in the morning, there is a stop on a sandbank where a set up sunshades and fit the clients with snorkelling equipment. Guides, who can safely lead the snorkelling session and show points of interest, accompany the clients. For beginners or those who are not confident swimmers, we have inflatable snorkelling vests and our guides can give tuition.
After snorkeling clients are given fresh green coconuts before, we move to a desert island for lunch. During the morning a catering boat has gone on ahead to prepare lunch, which is served on teak picnic tables set up beneath the shade of some tamarind trees.
Lunch is a traditional Zanzibari meal and includes a selection of grilled fish, slipper lobster, squid, and rice, tamarind and coriander sauces. A gastronomic fruit tasting follows with a selection of between 10 to 15 different tropical fruits. Cold drinks are available throughout the day and include mineral water, sodas, and beer. Coffee and Amarula liqueur are also served after lunch. Toilets are available on the island.
When the tide allows there can be a visit a beautiful mangrove lagoon where it is possible to swim through the mangrove forest.
A return to Fumba by sails and arrive back at 6 p.m. in time to see the colourful African sunset.
Be advised that there are no formal changing facilities at Fumba so please wear your swimming things under your clothes. Also, be advised to bring waterproof shoes for boarding the dhows and to bring towels, sunscreen, and a spare T-shirt for snorkelling.
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Dhow Cruise
(17:30 – 19:30 Daily)
Traditional sailing boat of the type used for centuries for carrying cargo between Zanzibar and the Arabian Gulf. She has been converted into a beautifully restored sailing vessel, which will give you an insight into the real Zanzibar. She is equipped with safety equipment, sunshade, snorkeling equipment, and boarding ladder. She is approximately 40 feet long and a crew of six will ensure your safety and comfort on board. Sit back and relax, enjoy the Zanzibar breezes and clear turquoise waters. Try your hand at fishing with a local fisherman, have lunch on a sandbank, swim and snorkel. Every day we offer a sunset cruise or an island hop including drinks and food. Private charters are also available on request.
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Prison Island Tour
(1/2 day morning or afternoon)
Prison Island, located just 15 minutes by boat from Stonetown is a popular location for snorkeling because of the shallow depths, variety in coral and marine life, and lack of strong current.
You will be guided around the island on a small trail that goes past ruins. Look for the old prison and watch out for peacocks in the ruins courtyard. You will also pass ruins of an old laundry centre, a natural lagoon that can be quite beautiful if the tide is right and the old quarantine housing. A wealthy slave owner who sent unruly slaves there for discipline first owned the island.
One of the island’s main attractions is the large land tortoises. They are a sight to be seen!
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Jozani Forest And Kizimkazi Tour
(Full day)
This tour will take you to one of the last remaining natural rain forests in East Africa, the Jozani Forest. The forest is full of large exotic trees and harbors different species of Monkeys, especially the Red Colobus monkeys whom are indigenous to the Island.
At your convenience, you will be driven to Kizimkazi South West of Zanzibar to see the Bottlenose and Spinner dolphins. You will have the chance to play with them, doing snorkeling in the area, which is superb. A traditional Zanzibari seafood lunch can be obtained at Karamba Restaurant overlooking the sea, giving breathtaking scenery.
You will have the option of passing to Jozani Forest or just going straight to see the dolphins without passing to Jozani Forest.
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Jozani Forest Tour
(1/2 day morning or afternoon)
This is a tour of four hours, which will take you to one of the last remaining natural rain forests in East Africa. The forest is full of large exotic trees and harbors different species of monkeys, especially the Red Colobus monkeys, whom are indigenous to the Island.
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Nungwi Tour
(Full Day)
This is a full day tour that takes you from your Hotel, then first to Mkokotoni fish auctions and via Mvuleni and Fuckuchani where you can visit the Ruins of the Portuguese Barracks, to Nungwi. At Nungwi, you will also visit a boatyard where Dhows are still built in the traditional way. In the afternoon, there is time to swim and relax on the white sandy, non-tidal, secluded beaches. A very good lunch is available at Ocean Lodge where the afternoon will be spent.
Sundowners on the beach and return back to Zanzibar town during last light.
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Mangapwani Tour
(full day)
You will find pristine white sand, secret honeymoon beaches hidden behind the rocks of the cliff, water sports from snorkeling to canoeing to sailing. Alternatively, you can visit the historic slave caves at either end of the property.
The Hotel Can Assist You To Arrange This Tour
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: http://www.princesssalmeinn.com/
Who Is Princess Salme
Emily Ruete (1844-1924) was born in Zanzibar as Sayyida Salme, Princess of Zanzibar and Oman. She was a daughter of Sayyid Said bin Sultan Al-Busaid, Sultan of Zanzibar and Oman.
Her first years were spent in the huge Bet il Mtoni palace, by the sea about eight kilometers north of Stone Town. (The palace was mostly demolished in 1914). She grew up bilingual in Arabic and Swahili. In 1851 she moved to Bet il Watoro, the house of her brother Majid bin Said of Zanzibar, the later sultan and Beit el Saleh.
In Malindi Stone Town there is a hotel with her name Princess Salme Inn. The hotel is in the building believed to be one of his relatives and Princess Salme was visiting the building when was young. The hotel is created to celebrate the life of this beautiful courageous princess.
Sayyida Salme was born on August 30, 1844 as daughter of Sultan Said and Jilfidan, a Circassian concubine.
Her first years were spent in the huge Bet il Mtoni palace, by the sea about eight kilometers north of Stone Town. (The palace was mostly demolished in 1914). She grew up bilingual in Arabic and Swahili. In 1851 she moved to Bet il Watoro, the house of her brother Majid bin Said of Zanzibar, the later sultan and Beit el Saleh.
Her brother taught her to ride and to shoot. In 1853 she moved with her mother to Bet il Tani. She secretly taught herself to write, a skill which was unusual for women at the time.When her father died in 1856 she was declared of age, twelve years old, and received her paternal heritage. This consisted of a plantation with a residence, and 5,429 pounds. After her father's death, her brother Sayyid Thuwaini bin Said al-Said became Sultan of Muscat and Oman, while her brother Majid became Sultan of Zanzibar.In 1859 her mother died and Salme received her maternal inheritance, three plantations.
The same year a dispute broke out between her brothers Majid and Barghash bin Said of Zanzibar. Though she favoured Majid, her favourite sister Khwala made her side with Barghash. Because she could write she acted (at the age of fifteen) as secretary of Barghash's party. With the help of an English gunboat the insurrection of Barghash was soon brought to an end; Barghash was sent into exile in Bombay for two years and Salme withdrew to Kisimbani, one of her estates.Salme eventually moved back to Stone Town and made up with Majid. This earned her the lasting enmity from Barghash, as well as a split with her favorite sister Khwala.
The beautiful Princess Salme was very keen on learning about western cultures and she somehow managed to convince her father to permit her to take lessons in English. With her new acquired knowledge, she could easily communicate with the wives of western dignitaries, whose husbands came to greet the Sultan of Zanzibar - her father!
As she interacted more closely with her new found friends, the Princess came into contact with officers visiting or stationed on the islands, without her father's knowledge. Interestingly she developed an attraction for these officers!
She ultimately fell in love with a young German business representative from a Hamburg firm. This man was Wilhelm Ruete.
Because of her strict religious upbringing (Islamic), Salme was restricted (at the palace) from coming into contact with men, let alone western men. Her only alternative was to use the Royal household to deliver messages to Wilhelm.
As their affection for each other grew, it became more difficult for the Princess to conceal the truth from her loving father. A union between Salme, (coming from a Muslim Royal Family) and Wilhelm, a young German man would be totally unacceptable.
Her only way out of this impasse was to flea to Germany with Wilhelm. Their carefully planned escape somehow succeeded and they made their escape at night boarding a ship that was sailing for Germany.
As she interacted more closely with her new found friends, the Princess came into contact with officers visiting or stationed on the islands, without her father's knowledge. Interestingly she developed an attraction for these officers!
She ultimately fell in love with a young German business representative from a Hamburg firm. This man was Wilhelm Ruete.
Because of her strict religious upbringing (Islamic), Salme was restricted (at the palace) from coming into contact with men, let alone western men. Her only alternative was to use the Royal household to deliver messages to Wilhelm.
As their affection for each other grew, it became more difficult for the Princess to conceal the truth from her loving father. A union between Salme, (coming from a Muslim Royal Family) and Wilhelm, a young German man would be totally unacceptable.
Her only way out of this impasse was to flea to Germany with Wilhelm. Their carefully planned escape somehow succeeded and they made their escape at night boarding a ship that was sailing for Germany.
Once in Germany, Salme married Wilhelm and adopted the name Frau Emily Ruete. Emily and Wilhelm had three children. Sadly, their life together was not to last long, as Wilhelm was tragically killed in an accident, not long after Salme came to this new land.
Luckily for all of us, Salme managed to write her memoirs which where later published and provided us with all the answers we were looking for.
Luckily for all of us, Salme managed to write her memoirs which where later published and provided us with all the answers we were looking for.
The Ruetes settled in Hamburg, where they had another son and two daughters. They were:
• Antonia Thawke Ruete (24 March 1868-?), who married Eugene Brandeis (1846-1919) in 1898 and had two daughters.
• Rudolf Said-Ruete (13 April 1869- 1 May 1946). A journalist and author, with the rise of the Nazi Party, he resigned his German citizenship in 1934 and settled in London, becoming a British subject and dying at Lucerne, Switzerland after World War II. In 1901, he married Mary Therese Matthias (1872-?) and had a son and a daughter, Werner Heinrich (1902-?) and Salme Matilda Benvenuta Olga (1910-?). Through his marriage, he was a cousin of Alfred Moritz, 1st Baron Melchett, who became the first chairman of Imperial Chemical Industries.
• Rosalie Ghuza Ruete (16 April 1870-?), who married Major-General Martin Troemer of the Royal Prussian Army. Her husband died in 1870 after a tram accident, leaving Ruete in difficult economic circumstances because the authorities denied her heritage claims. Partly to alleviate these economic problems she wrote Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar, first published in the German Empire in 1886, later published in the United States and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The book provides the first known autobiography of an Arab woman. The book presents the reader with an intimate picture of life in Zanzibar between 1850 and 1865, and an inside portrait of her brothers Majid bin Said of Zanzibar and Barghash bin Said of Zanzibar, the later sultans of Zanzibar.After the death of her husband Emily Ruete was caught up in the colonial plans of Otto von Bismarck. There were speculations that Bismarck wanted to install her son as Sultan of Zanzibar. She revisited Zanzibar in 1885 and in 1888. Between 1889 and 1914 she lived in Beirut, Lebanon and Jaffa. She died in Jena, Germany, at the age of 79, from severe pneumonia.
In 1992 An Arabian Princess Between Two Worlds was published, making her letters home, with her reactions on life in Europe, finally available to the public.
There is a permanent exhibition about Emily Ruete in the People's Palace in Stonetown, the palace constructed by her brother, Sultan Barghash.
In Malindi Stone Town there is a hotel with her name Princess Salme Inn. The hotel is in the building believed to be one of his relatives and Princess Salme was visiting the building when was young. The hotel is created to celebrate the life of this beautiful courageous princess.Our beautiful princess was able to briefly revisit her beloved home(Zanzibar) twice - the first occasion was on August 12, 1885 with her three children on a German ship called the "Adler"(she was invited by Kaiser Wilhelm) and again in 1888(her last visit to Zanzibar).
Princess Salme spent her last days on this earth in the foreign land she had now made her home - Germany. Her body was laid to rest in a cemetery in Hamburg-Ohlsdorf, where her in-laws were also laid to rest.
For More Information You Can Contact
Tel: +255 777 435303
Email: info@princesssalmeinn.com
Website: www.princesssalmeinn.com
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