01997nas a2200349   4500000000100000000000100001000000100002008004100003653002200044653001300066653001100079653002400090653001300114653001100127653001300138653002600151653002300177653001600200653001400216653002200230653003300252653001300285653002000298653003700318100001500355245005800370856015000428300001200578490000700590520103000597022002001627       2008                            d10acultural heritage10aheritage10aUNESCO10aWorld heritage site10aTanzania10aAfrica10aIslamism10aidentity construction10aSub-Saharan Africa10aEast Africa10aFragrance10aIslam and culture10anongovernmental organization10aZanzibar10aZanzibar Island10aUnited Republic of Tanzania (TZ)1 aR. Boswell00aScents of identity: Fragrance as heritage in Zanzibar  uhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-52649173322&doi=10.1080%2f02589000802332507&partnerID=40&md5=efa973c09a8300cefbf92a3a29709950  a295-3110 v263 aIn 2000, UNESCO declared Zanzibar Stone Town a World Heritage Site. Since this time the Tanzanian government and international NGOs (based in Zanzibar) have participated in the rehabilitation of the town s buildings and other physical infrastructure. However, little attention has been paid to the rich intangible heritage of the islands and the fusion of cultural expressions in this part of the world. This paper considers the important role of fragrances in the identity construction processes of Zanzibar islanders. The author offers a brief history, theoretical discussion and detailed ethnography of fragrance in Zanzibar. She discusses its role in the varied constitution of identity, belief and in life cycle rituals. The author further argues that fragrance and other seemingly  mundane  heritages attract little attention in the preservation process and yet these indicate important cultural continuities in the Indian Ocean region and form a vital part of heritage and the harmonisation of cultures on the islands.  a02589001 (ISSN)