Domoni is one of those towns where time seems to have stood still. On the east coast of Anjouan, its narrow lanes, coral-stone houses and centuries-old mosques speak of a glorious past, when it was the capital of one of the most powerful sultanates in the Comoros and a key port in the trade between Africa, Arabia, Persia and India.
Founded and enlarged by communities of Shirazi origin —descendants of a Persian aristocracy that emigrated from the city of Shiraz—, Domoni has one of the best-preserved historic medinas in the archipelago: defensive walls built against pirates, ancient mosques such as the Shiraz mosque, with its two mihrabs, and a web of streets where life still goes on between carved doors and centuries-old walls.
This guide takes you through the old town, its mosques and its walls, and helps you understand why Domoni gave the country presidents and fathers of independence, such as Ahmed Abdallah, whose mausoleum stands here. With practical tips for getting there, getting around and combining the visit with the ylang plantations of Bambao, so you can discover historic, authentic Anjouan.
Domoni is among the oldest towns in the Comoros: from the 15th century it was a major centre of trade with Africa and the East and the seat of a powerful sultanate, enlarged by a Shirazi community of Persian origin. It was the capital of Anjouan until 1792, when power moved to Mutsamudu. Its walls were built to hold back raids by Malagasy pirates, and its mosques —such as the Shiraz mosque, from the 14th to 16th centuries— are gems of Swahili-Comorian art. The town gave the country figures such as President Ahmed Abdallah; its full story is told on the history page.
Read the full history ↓The island of the archipelago's most powerful sultanate: Shirazi ports, the citadel of Mutsamudu, walled Domoni and green slopes that distil ylang-ylang.
Read the history of Anjouan (Ndzuani) →No exact prices: a scale from $ (budget) to $$$$$ (luxury), with 2-3 options per category.
Origins, formation and what the sources say.
Domoni is one of the oldest towns in the Comoros, and its history goes back to the first centuries of human settlement in the archipelago. The islands were settled from the first millennium AD by a mix of peoples: Bantu groups from the East African coast, Austronesian seafarers who arrived from Southeast Asia by way of Madagascar, and Arab and Persian merchants who sailed the monsoon routes. That blend gave rise to the Swahili-Comorian civilisation, which was Muslim, urban and focused on maritime trade.
Domoni grew up on the east coast of Anjouan, a sheltered spot well placed for dhow traffic, and became one of the great centres of that civilisation. From the 15th century, the town was an important hub of trade with the African mainland and with the East. It exported goods from the islands and the interior and took in goods, ideas and people from Arabia, Persia and India. Ships left its port for places as far away as the Indian coast, as part of the great trading system of the western Indian Ocean.
Domoni's most distinctive feature is its strong Shirazi heritage. According to tradition, the town owes much of its power and refinement to communities of Persian origin from the region of Shiraz, in southern Iran, who settled in the Comoros between the 14th and 18th centuries. This Sunni aristocracy brought prestige, religious learning and architectural models, which you can still see in the town's mosques. It merged with the local elite and gave Domoni an air of a noble, learned town, a reputation it still proudly claims.
For centuries, Anjouan was an independent sultanate, one of several that divided up the Comorian archipelago, and Domoni was its capital and seat of power. From here the sultans of Anjouan ruled a prosperous island whose products and strategic position on the Indian Ocean routes made it a coveted prize. The town filled up with mosques, palaces and coral-stone houses, all signs of the wealth of its merchants and notables.
That prosperity had a bitter side, though: insecurity. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the coasts of Anjouan suffered feared raids by slaving and pirate fleets from Madagascar (the so-called 'sakalava' and 'betsimisaraka'). They ravaged the islands, captured people to sell as slaves and plundered the towns. To defend themselves, Domoni and other Comorian towns built walls and fortifications, and you can still see what remains of them. The town lived between the splendour of trade and the fear of raids.
In 1792, the centre of power in Anjouan moved from Domoni to Mutsamudu, on the opposite coast of the island. Mutsamudu had a more sheltered harbour and a better-defended position, and a great citadel would be built there in the 18th century. Domoni lost its status as capital but kept its historical and religious prestige, its role as the cradle of the Shirazi aristocracy and its magnificent urban heritage. It no longer ruled, but it remained a town of standing, respected across Anjouan.
Over the 19th century, France extended its rule over the Comoros. After annexing Mayotte in 1841, it imposed a protectorate on Anjouan, Mohéli and Grande Comore, and in 1912 it made all four islands a colony. The Sultanate of Anjouan was abolished and the island was absorbed into the French colonial system, with an economy built around ylang-ylang, clove and vanilla plantations. Like the rest of the island, Domoni lived through this period of foreign rule and deep social inequality.
But the old noble town had not had its last word. Domoni kept its tradition of a learned, political elite, and it produced figures who shaped the country's modern history. The best known is Ahmed Abdallah Abderemane, born in Domoni. A businessman and politician, he became one of the leading figures in the independence of the Comoros, declared in 1975, and the first president of the independent country. Another head of state, Saïd Mohamed Djohar, also came from the region. In this way Domoni, the old sultanate capital, became a cradle of presidents for the young republic.
Ahmed Abdallah's life was marked by both greatness and tragedy. He dominated Comorian politics for years, in a country shaken by coups and by the interference of foreign mercenaries, and he was assassinated in 1989 in murky circumstances. His marble-clad mausoleum stands in Domoni today and is a place of national remembrance. The town that had once been a sultans' court also became the resting place of the fathers of independence.
Today Domoni is a town of about seventeen thousand people that keeps the feel of the old Swahili-Comorian civilisation more than any other place on Anjouan. It has a medina of narrow alleys, coral-stone houses with carved doors, centuries-old mosques and what remains of its walls. Among the mosques is the Shiraz Mosque, built between the 14th and 16th centuries, which is unusual for having two mihrabs and tall minarets in the Iranian style. Together they make the town a true open-air museum and one of the best-preserved historic areas in the country.
This rich heritage sits alongside the challenges of a poor town in a country with few resources. There are problems with infrastructure, sanitation and the upkeep of the old town, which sometimes suffers from neglect and population pressure. Preserving Domoni's medina, mosques and walls is still an unmet challenge. Tourism can help, as long as it is done respectfully and without distorting local life.
For travellers, Domoni offers something very different from the beaches and nature of the rest of the archipelago. It is a historic town steeped in centuries of history, where every street, every mosque and every stretch of wall tells part of the long story of the Comoros. The best way to honour this old capital, still the historic heart of Anjouan, is to explore it with a local guide, listen to the stories of the Shirazis, the sultans, the pirates and the presidents, and respect its deeply Muslim customs.
