There are many curiosities of Africa that generate automatic fascination in us. A continent marked by poverty and scarcity for a large part of its population, it also owns some of the most extraordinary landscapes on the face of the earth. Today in Supercurioso we talk about some of the most interesting curiosities of Kilimanjaro. References in history about Mount Kilimanjaro are very old. In fact, the first of them dates from the second century AD and corresponds to the Greek astronomer Ptolemy. It speaks of a mysterious land to the south, inhabited by cannibals and dominated by a great snowy mountain. Join us to learn the curious facts about this imposing mountain, a symbol of Africa.
The story of Mount Kilimanjaro and its discovery
The story of Mount Kilimanjaro is closely related to the life of one man: Johannes Rebmann (1820-1876). He was a German Lutheran missionary who worked in the Rabai Mission, the first Christian mission in East Africa, near Mombasa, a coastal city in today’s Kenya. Rebmann learned Swahili and was able to talk to caravan traders who told him about a great white mountain we now call Kilimanjaro, which lay more than 200 kilometers to the west, in a vast region hitherto unknown. by the Europeans.
This high mountain, which was a point of reference for caravans traveling from the heart of Africa to the port of Mombasa, was called Kilima Njaro. According to legend, among the curiosities of Kilimanjaro it is said that it was guarded by fierce spirits that would kill anyone who came near the silver-colored mountain. According to this legend, death would be caused by the blackening of the arms and legs. Rebmann and his fellow missionary Johann Ludwig Krapf, however, understand that the native legends actually depict the terrible effects of frostbite, and that the Silver Mountain was nothing more than a mountain of snow. Later, after seeing the mountain and verifying that it was covered with snow, Rebmann confirms his suspicion: a half-naked man would die of cold in that place.
The journey inside Mount Kilimanjaro
In 1848, at the age of 28 and after spending four years in Africa, Johannes Rebmann ventured into a simply daunting task: penetrate Mount Kilimanjaro to proselytize and convert the indigenous people to Christianity. He received permission from the Governor of Mombasa to travel and set out to visit Chagga, “the snow of the field of East Africa»April 27, 1848. Rebmann was traveling in a small caravan consisting of his guide and caravan leader Bana Kheri, nine porters, and camels.
On May 11, Rebmann discovered that the mountain was capped with snow, and tried to describe the concept of snow to his guide and porters to their disbelief. Bana Kheri told her that there was no word for this, “snow,” not even in the language of the Chagga people who lived on the mountain.. After resting and reading the Bible from him, Rebmann continued west towards Kilimanjaro with the caravan. and in two more days Chagga arrived.
Later, In November 1848, the accidental explorer Johannes Rebmann returned to Mount Kilimanjaro and the land of the Chagga. On this trip, he learned that Chagga called the highest peak of the mountain Kibo, which was also their word for “snow”, and that they believed the mountain to be the source of all rivers. He later wrote that he, too, learned that the Chagga believed that “they could climb the mountain and descend again safely, if they did so at the right season.” But many died trying, because they didn’t know what the right season was.
Rebmann publishes his trips to Mount Kilimanjaro
If we talk about the curiosities of Kilimanjaro, we can do so in the first instance thanks to the tireless exploring spirit of this missionary. Rebmann’s account of his travels to Mount Kilimanjaro was published in the first issue of the monthly Church Missionary Intelligencer magazine, a publication of the Church Missionary Society in London in May 1849. The magazine reported Rebmann’s discovery of a great snow-capped mountain near the equator, which astonished both the public and geographers, such as William Desborough Cooley, an expert in African geography who had never visited the continent.
Nobody, especially Mr. Cooley, believes that a great mountain covered in snow all year round could be located in equatorial Africa, a hot and humid area. The mountain, Cooley said, would have to rise to more than 18,000 feet and have “terrific mass.” He also scoffed at the idea that a simple missionary with no background in geography knew what he was talking about. In the May 19, 1849, Athenaeus, Cooley dismissed Rebmann’s observation of snow as a “fortuitous combination of imagination and bad eyesight,” and adamantly stated, “I entirely deny the existence of snow.” on Mount Kilimanjaro.
Meanwhile, Johannes Rebmann was kidnapped in East Africa and was unaware of the controversy his article on Mount Kilimanjaro had sparked. Instead, he continued his explorations of the surrounding region in 1849 to bring the Gospel to the native tribes. Rebmann stayed in Africa as a missionary for another 29 years, not returning to his native Germany until 1875. This accidental adventurer, who laid the foundation for later African exploration, died of pneumonia on October 4, 1876.
The best curiosities of Kilimanjaro
literary inspiration
One of the most interesting curiosities of Kilimanjaro is that it served as inspiration for writers of the stature of Ernest Hemingway. In fact, the renowned author wrote a story in 1936 entitled Las Nieves del Kilimanjaro. In its beginnings, echoes the legend about the existence of the corpse of a leopard, which has been frozen near the top of the mountain, more than 5,500 meters high. This data is a reality. Indeed, very close to the top rests the frozen skeleton of a leopard. Nobody can explain what the animal would be looking for at those heights.
age record
Another of the curiosities of Kilimanjaro has to do with the feat of its ascent. It is not an easy climb at all. However, some people have achieved it, having truly peculiar conditions. For example, the youth record for the ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro is shared by three people. They are Joshua Schumacher from South Africa, Zhang Muyuan from China and Jordi Membrado from Spain. All three managed to reach the top when they were only nine years old. At the opposite end of stand out the Frenchman Valtée Daniel and the American Carl Haupt, who reached the top of the mountain at 87 and 79 years old, respectively.
World Heritage
We add to the curiosities of Kilimanjaro the fact that it is, since 1987, a World Heritage Site. It is a large forest reserve where exotic animals such as leopards, monkeys, elephants and buffalo live. Glaciers and perpetual snowfields are also found in its territory.
And you, Did you know the story of Mount Kilimanjaro? Did you know that he starred in a story by Hemingway? Or that it housed a leopard at the top? Dare to leave us all your opinions in a comment. We will be happy to read you!