Tanzania: Zanzibar Excavation (IFR)

Location: Mfumbwi Twins Villa Zanzibar, Jambiani, Tanzania

Session Dates: June 1 – July 1, 2026

Application Deadline: March 1, 2026

Deadline Type: Rolling

Website: https://ifrglobal.org/program/tanzania-zanzibar/

Program Type:
Field School

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
Institute for Field Research (IFR)

Project Director:
Dr. Akshay Sarathi

Project Description:

Help uncover a different side of Swahili history through the first archaeological project of its kind on Tanzania’s Zanzibar Island. While most research on the East African coast has focused on grand “stone towns” built by Muslim elites around 1000 CE, this field school shifts the lens to the cave-dwelling and forager communities who lived in the surrounding landscapes. Using archaeological and anthropological field methods, you’ll explore how these communities lived, worked, and interacted with the nearby urban centers. Excavations at Zanzibar’s coastal cave sites hold evidence of thousands of years of human activity, providing an unparalleled opportunity to study long-term human-environmental interaction and a chance to expand the understanding of Swahili society beyond the city walls.

This community-based archaeology field school blends excavation and ethnography into a single, immersive experience. You’ll get to engage directly with Zanzibari communities who still use these caves to this day, giving you a fuller picture of how heritage, identity, and memory continue to shape the Swahili coast. Together, these experiences offer a rare opportunity to connect the deep past with living heritage in a setting as fascinating as it is breathtaking.

Field school highlights:

• Explore how Zanzibar’s cave-dwelling communities engaged with nearby stone towns, Indian Ocean Trade networks, and the dynamic environment around them.
• Gain hands-on training in excavation, stratigraphic recording, artifact processing, ethnographic field methods and more.
• Experience Zanzibari culture and its vibrant traditions- explore Stone Town, celebrate the Mwaka Kogwa festival, or even snorkel the island’s colorful coral reefs in your free time.

Period(s) of Occupation: Zanzibari Cave dwellers, Field, Community, and Environmental archaeology

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: Students are expected to stay the full length of the program.

Minimum Age: 18

Experience Required: None

Room and Board Arrangements:
Students will stay in a field research station located in the fishing village of Mfumbwi, just a 7-minute walk from the island’s white-sand beaches. The facility includes shared bedrooms with simple sleeping arragements such as cots or sleeping bags, shared bathrooms, a study, a large kitchen, a lab workspace, dining area, and a living room arranged in traditional Swahili baraza style. Wifi is available for basic communication, and electricity is provided through the local grid, with occasional short outages typical for the area. Meals: Meals are prepared by a local cook using fresh ingredients from nearby markets and fishers. This program can accommodate vegetarian and vegan dietary preferences.

Academic Credit:
TBD