Pottery found on Mozambique Island indicates that the town was founded no later than the fourteenth century. According to tradition, the original
Swahili population came from
Kilwa. The town's rulers had links with the rulers of both
Angoche and
Quelimane by the fifteenth century. In 1514,
Duarte Barbosa noted that the town had a Muslim population and that they spoke the same Swahili dialect as Angoche. The name of the island (, pronounced ) is derived from Ali Musa Mbiki (
Mussa Bin Bique), sultan of the island in the times of
Vasco da Gama. This name was subsequently also used for the mainland country
Mozambique, and
Ilha de ... (Island of ...) was added to the island's name. The Portuguese established a port and
naval base in 1507 and built the
Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte in 1522, now considered the oldest European building in the
Southern Hemisphere. During the 16th century,
Fort São Sebastião was built, and the Portuguese settlement (now known as
Stone Town) became the
capital of
Portuguese East Africa. The island also became an important
missionary centre. It withstood Dutch attacks in 1607 and 1608, in a successful defense led by captain-general Dom
Estêvão de Ataíde, and remained a major post for the Portuguese on their trips to India. It saw the trading of
slaves,
spices, and
gold. Apart from the ancient fortifications, only half of the town is stone-built. The hospital, a majestic
neo-classical building constructed in 1877 by the Portuguese, with a garden decorated with ponds and fountains, was repainted white after the
Mozambican Civil War. For many years, it was the biggest hospital south of the Sahara. With the opening of the
Suez Canal, the island's fortunes waned. In 1898, the capital was moved to Lourenço Marques (now
Maputo) on the mainland. By the middle of the 20th century, the new harbour of
Nacala took most of the remaining business. ==Attractions==