Domoni

Domoni on Anjouan's east coast was a sultanate capital and is one of the six medinas UNESCO inscribed in 2026 as the Medinas of the Historic Sultanates of the Comoros. Its lanes run between coral-stone houses with carved wooden doors, mosques and tombs of the sultans, laid out on the slope above the sea. Woodcarving and embroidery are still worked here. The town is the birthplace of Ahmed Abdallah, who led the country at independence, and his mausoleum stands within the medina.

History

Archaeological finds show that Domoni was founded in the 12th century, and by the 15th it was a flourishing centre of trade with Africa, Persia, Arabia and India, with finds suggesting contact as far as Japan; the navigator Ibn Majid described it as a major trading port. It was the capital of the Anjouan sultanate until the end of the 18th century, when Sultan Abdallah I moved the capital to Mutsamudu, and it is home to a large Shirazi population descended from immigrants from Shiraz of the 14th to 18th centuries. Domoni is the birthplace of Ahmed Abdallah, the first president of the Comoros, whose mausoleum stands here (Wikipedia, Domoni).

Highlights

• The medina lanes - narrow streets of coral-stone houses on the slope.
• The carved doors - the worked wooden doorways the town is known for.
• The sultans' tombs - the burials of the rulers who held the town.
• The 2026 inscription - one of six medinas listed together.

When to go

May to October is the drier and cooler season. The rains run November to April. Fridays change the rhythm around prayers.

Practical notes

Much of the fabric is in poor repair and restoration is only beginning. Non-Muslims should not expect access to mosque interiors. The road from Mutsamudu is slow and rough.

Nearby

Mutsamudu is northwest, and Moya is south.

Key facts