1. Tanzanian woodcarving

There are two kinds of woodcarving: black woodcarving (also called Marconde woodcarving) and oil woodcarving (also called Irranga woodcarving). The former originated from the forest area bordering Tanzania in northern Mozambique and was carved from ebony, one of the densest woods in the world. The most famous carving themes are genealogy, Masai people and African animals. A good ebony carving must be a single material carving, that is, the carving materials are not spliced. The latter originated from ebony wood carving, but ordinary wood was used as carving material and then painted with heavy color paint. The theme is exaggerated character modeling with less than five fingers and toes. In Zanzibar, there are also jewelry boxes and miniature door decorations carved with teak.

Recommended place of purchase:

Ebony carving handicraft market is located in the north of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and it is the largest ebony carving market in Tanzania. There are nearly a hundred ebony carving shops in this small yard, and nearly a thousand ebony carving craftsmen from all over Tanzania make a living here.

Although it is the largest ebony carving market in Tanzania, compared with some giant markets at home and abroad, this market is pocket-sized. There are hundreds of shops crowded in the small square yard. The shops are not big, usually about 10 square meters, but the colorful ebony carvings will not be boring if you visit here all day. All kinds of mysterious and peculiar ebony carvings have strong artistic characteristics of African woodcarving, which makes people fondle it.

2. Tanzanian sapphire

Tanzania is the only place where Tanzanian sapphires are blue and purple. This gem was found in 1967 and is expected to run out in 2020. At present, the largest Tanzanian sapphire stone (a gem that has not been finely cut and polished) weighs 16839 carats (more than 3 kg). The international price of Tanzanian sapphire is 1g (about 5 carats) between 700 and 2000 dollars, depending on the natural color and the quality of cutting and polishing. Among the four properties of precious stones, such as rarity, beauty, durability and high price, Tanzania Blue is only worse in durability. The hardness reading measured by Mohs hardness tester is 6.5-7, which is far less than the hardness of diamond (the maximum scale on Mohs hardness tester is 14, and the diamond is between11-kloc-0/3), so Tansang Blue is suitable for making necklaces, brooches, bracelets, earrings and earrings.

tie-dyed cloth

Tanzanian hand-woven fabric and natural dye tie-dyeing are the first choice for foreign tourists, especially female tourists.

Matters needing attention in purchasing Tanzanian specialties:

1. You can do it: shop around; Subtract two-thirds of the asking price before bargaining; After the transaction, a receipt is required; Try to go shopping in the regular market, and don't be chased by vendors in the street.

2. Don't do it: Ebony carvings are mostly coated with shoe polish, so be careful not to dirty other items in the suitcase; Wood carvings with bark can't pass the plant quarantine of China Customs; Don't squeeze or fold the painting axis, so as not to damage the plaster and the pigments attached to it; Tanzan homespun has a high shrinkage rate and is easy to fade. Don't buy clothes in the right size, and be careful not to be dyed when washing. Tanzanian sapphires must be purchased in a security store, and attention should be paid to obtaining anti-counterfeiting certificates; Conch shells can't pass the animal quarantine of China Customs.

3. Small Earth Travel Reminder: Never buy ivory or ivory products. Once discovered by Tanzanian customs, travelers will worry about being trapped in a foreign country.