Ibo Island History

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Ibo Island has a lost world appeal, with tales of pirates and prisoners, turtle shells and silver. The history is a dramatic series of events that, when recounted, seems to have a presence of magic.

A Legacy

Arab influence dates back to as early AD600. Arab traders had established contact with the local inhabitants and subsequently established fortified trading posts along the coastline. Trading in the Quirimbas Islands was in amber, jet, ivory, turtle shell and people.

Ibo has been conquered and crossed by many. Ibo Island history reads like a kind of turbulent fairytale. Historically, the island see-sawed between Portuguese and Omani Arab rule. As if not an island, but some marked treasure trove. The Portuguese held sway.

The Portuguese attacked Quirimba Island in 1522, because the trading Muslims of Quirimba refused to trade with the Portuguese Christians, who they probably intended to eliminate as trading rivals. By 1590 seven of the nine biggest islands were ruled by a Portuguese lord, and just two by the local Muslim traders.

Slave trade became significant at this time, with the French needing labour for their plantations in Mauritius and Reunion. The Portuguese tried to control this trade. The trade brought prosperity to Ibo

Ibo Island gained municipal status in 1763 and by the end of the 18th century, is regarded to have been the second most important Portuguese trading centre after Ilha do Mozambique. Throughout the 18th and 19th century the population of Ibo Island and the adjacent regions were consistently under attack from Dutch and Madagascar forces. As a result of the attacks the Fort of São João Batista (St. John Baptist) was completed in 1791.

World Heritage Status

In 1902 the capital District of Cabo Delgado was transferred from Ibo Island to Port Amelia, currently the city of Pemba. Since the Portuguese left in 1975 little has happened on the island, and the small population of Ibo lived in virtual isolation. What is left of the once great trading power on Ibo, is an island steeped in history, mystery and enchantment.

Ibo has remained all but forgotten to the outside world for almost a century. Architectural heirlooms from this era, canals cut by slaves, and other crumbles of evidence, gather on the outskirts of Ibo, reflecting this rich legacy. It is because of this rich heritage and historical importance that Ibo is being considered for World Heritage Site status.