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At 19,340 feet, Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa. Therefore, Kilimanjaro is considered one of the "Seven Summits" -- the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. Although believed to be extinct for many years, this volcano is very much active. In 2003, vulcanologists concluded that molten lava is just 400 meters (13,000 feet) below the summit crater. Ranging throughout the grasslands of Tanzania and Kenya in particular, the semi-nomadic and picturesque Maasai are known as the "cattle people." The cattle herds of the Maasai are central to their lives and culture. One of their spiritual beliefs is that their rain god Ngai gave all cattle to the Maasai people and therefore anyone else who possesses cattle must have stolen them from the Maasai -- which means that from time to time, the Maasai feel the need to 'free' any cattle found on some other tribe's grazing lands or in their corrals. The creator god and *chief deity of the Maasai, Ngai* (meaning "rain") lives in the heavens and manifests himself as a red cloud (when he is angry) or as a black cloud (when he is in a good mood). Since its discovery in 1967, tanzanite has become a well known and widely distributed gemstone, fast becoming the most popular gem stone in the world after the "Big Four" (diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald). A 122.7 carat tanzanite specimen named "The Midnight Blue" is on display in the Smithonian's Museum of Natural History. The largest flawless tanzanite ever polished is a 52 carat oval stone flecked with blue, violet and red, set in a platinum ring and surrounded by blue-white diamonds. Valued at over one million rand (approximately $147,819 US), it is currently on display at the Clock Tower Precinct at the Victoria & Albert Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa. A relatively new country, the United Republic of Tanzania** ((Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania in Swahili) was formed in 1964 by the federation of Tanganyika on the mainland and the island of Zanzibar off the Indian Ocean coast. The area was a German colony from the 1880s to 1919 at which time it was handed over to the British who ran it as a colony from 1919 to 1961.	"the most beautiful stone..." merelani hills below mt. kilimanjaro Only discovered in 1967 -- some twenty-five miles south of Arusha, Tanzania's northern-most city -- tanzanite is relatively new on the gemstone scene. Like many stories of discovery, the story of tanzanite's discovery -- in the Merelani Hills on Mount Kilimanjaro's southern flanks -- is peppered with discrepancies. Below is one version of the amazing find, from AF Gems (African Gem Resources). tanzanite's discovery "The Maasai tribe insists that it was Ali Juuyawatu, a native Masai, who first stumbled upon the beautiful lavender-blue stones. "The D'Souza family asserts that it was in fact their grandfather, Manuel, a Portuguese tailor-cum-prospector -- originally from Goa -- that made the discovery. Indeed, laying claim to the discovery of arguably the world's most exquisite gemstone is riddled with passion and perplexity. masai from merelani area photo: wildersun safaris "The most common narrative includes both Juuyawatu and D'Souza: In July 1967, 40 kilometres southeast of the town of Arusha, Ali Juuyawatu, a Masai tribesman, discovered a chunk of translucent rock. Fascinated by its blue-purple hue, he shared his find with Manuel D'Souza, who was prospecting for rubies in the region. "D'Souza's delight at the apparent sapphire discovery soon soured. Gemological tests revealed that the stones were indeed not sapphires, for their color was more violet and their composition different. Little did D'Souza realize that he had stumbled on one of the rarest gemstones known to man; a thousand times more rare than diamonds. faceted tanzanite photo: bbc However tanzanite was discovered, it soon came to the attention of Tiffany & Co., mesmerizing the savvy marketing mind of Henry B. Platt, great grandson of Louis Comfort Tiffany, and later president and chairman of Tiffany & Co. It was Platt who named the stone 'tanzanite' -- honoring its point of origin -- and planned its world-wide debut at Tiffany's in October 1968. Platt's marketing tagline -- "tanzanite, the most beautiful blue stone discovered in over 2000 years" -- is an epithet that has endured for nearly forty years. Tanzanite's newness has led to some interesting stories. In Secrets of the Gem Trade: The Connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstones, author Richard Wise tells the following tale: he who hesitates... Two years after tanzanite's discovery in 1967, a Masai warrior brought a 10,000-carat chunk of transparent, purplish-blue material to Kenyan gem cutter Navrottoni Pattni at his office in Nairobi. Pattni dismissed the Masai without purchasing the material thinking that anything that big had to be glass. Today, Pattni speculates that the piece he was offered could have been cut into a gem in excess of the 220-carat beauty currently in the collection of the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History. Pattni had been offered the stone for $50.
A whopping eighty percent of all tanzanite mined is shipped to the United States. Americans now buy about $300 million of tanzanite every year, making it the most popular colored gem after the sapphire. Northern Tanzania in particular -- home to the tanzanite industry -- has strong cultural and religious ties to largely Islamic North Africa, home to any number of loosely affiliated radical Islamic groups. In addition to miners, the 3-4 month tanzanite boycott had a domino effect on the many cutters, manufacturers, suppliers and dealers along the chain of commerce that provides the stones to the US retail market. In addition to the US State Department, a study funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) also found no link between tanzanite mining and terrorism. What is known about al-Qaeda's ties to the gem trade is its affinity for diamonds. According to the Washington Post, "an aggressive year-long...investigation into al Qaeda financing found evidence that two West African governments [including that of the now ousted President Charles Taylor of Liberia] hosted senior terrorist operatives who oversaw a $20 million diamond-buying spree that effectively cornered the market on the region's precious stones." The Post goes on to say, "the diamond-buying operation appears to have been hatched in response to a move by the United States in 1998 to freeze al-Qaeda assets after attacks on two US embassies in Africa.... investigations also found evidence that a group of people buying diamonds on behalf of the terrorists were simultaneously attempting to procure sophisticated weapons, such as missiles that could shoot down aircraft."	tanzanite ties to terror? Late in 2001 -- not long after 9/11 -- the Wall Street Journal published an article alleging that tanzanite sales were funding the al-Qaeda network. bin laden photo: bbc The report alleged that Muslim extremists loyal to Osama Bin Laden had been buying the gemstones in Tanzania and smuggling them to Dubai and Hong Kong, where they were sold to replenish the coffers of al-Qaeda. Based on interviews with several Tanzanians in the tanzanite trade, including miners, investigators in the FBI and CIA trying to track bin Laden's money came to the conclusion that for several years his people had been buying up tanzanite in the Arusha area. us embassy, dar es salaam, tanzania, aug. 15, 1998 ap photo As a result, many U.S. jewelers imposed a boycott on further imports of the gem -- some even removing it from their jewelry inventories. Since the US is by far the largest market for tanzanite, the implications of a boycott were grim for Tanzania -- and particularly so for tanzanite miners. However, after further investigation, in February 2002 the US State Department said it had found no hard evidence tying tanzanite sales to funds supporting terrorism and most jewelers lifted their boycott. But was there any truth to the stories of al-Qaeda's involvement in the tanzanite trade? where there's smoke... A possible bin Laden connection to tanzanite was documented at the trial of bin Laden's personal secretary, Wadih el Hage, being tried for his involvement in the horrific bombings in East Africa in August 1998 which left 224 people dead and thousands injured. el Hage, according to his own diaries introduced in court, had set up numerous businesses to deal in tanzanite. However, although he was successful in purchasing tanzanite, it appears that el Hage's attempts to set up sales in Antwerp, London and Los Angeles were rebuffed and there is no evidence that he ever completed a successful sale. A document entered as an exhibit in the embassy bombings case noted that el Hage tried unsuccessfully to establish a non-governmental organization in East Africa. "After realizing that he could not support himself and his family through NGO work, el Hage entered into business for himself selling the gemstone tanzanite," the document states. The wording of the exhibit, though signaling a connection between el Hage and tanzanite, does not say the al Qaeda organization entered the tanzanite business to raise funds.