Tongoni Ruins, Archaeological site in Tongoni, Tanga Region, Tanzania

Tongoni Ruins is a 15th-century Swahili site on a low embankment above Mtangata Bay, holding about forty standing tombs and a Friday mosque in the "northern" style on a third of a hectare. The coral-stone structures stand among baobabs, tamarinds and palms, with mangroves on the foreshore.

Tongoni was founded around the 10th century by Swahili residents as one of the coastal city-states. It flourished as a trading centre in the 15th century, and archaeology shows occupation from the late 14th to the 17th century. Vasco da Gama visited in April 1498 and returned the following year, staying fifteen days.

Local families use the site as a place to remember their ancestors, conducting ceremonies near the tombs as part of their spiritual practices. The ruins serve as a living connection between past and present for the community.

Tongoni lies about 17 km south of Tanga, on a low embankment along the southwest side of Kilole Bay, reached by the coastal road toward Pangani. The foreshore is covered in mangroves and the bay is sheltered by peninsulas from the monsoon winds. The tombs and mosque occupy roughly a third of a hectare, so an hour on foot covers the standing remains.

Archaeologists uncovered around seven thousand handmade ceramic pieces at the location, showing how far the trade connections of this region extended. These findings suggest goods were exchanged across vast distances through Indian Ocean networks.