[3] Songo Mnara has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the nearby stone town Kilwa Kisiwani.
[4] In total, archaeologists have found six mosques, four cemeteries, and two dozen house blocks along with three enclosed open spaces on the island.
[7] Archaeologists have been analyzing the layout of stone towns on the Swahili coast, mainly focusing on the relationship of the mosques and houses, in order to understand the role of the Swahili coast in Islamic culture, the functions of specific towns, and the complex economic and ritual process of land ownership.
[5] The layout of Songo Mnara is typical of stone towns along the Swahili coast, though its wall is a unique feature.
However, archaeologists and geneticists were unable to produce solid data for many of the Songo Mnara individuals.
However, a larger number of samples and "higher quality data" would have increased the amount of conclusions able to be drawn from this site.
[11] Songo Mnara is an island built atop bedrock and sandy subsoil.
Its proximity to the epicenter of Kilwa Kisiwani and its limited occupation make it a favorable area for geoarchaeological research.
[12] In samples from house 44 a great number of palm phytoliths were found, which is not a natural occurrence.
[12] The research done at Songo Mnara's public space is to see how urban centers can help us understand layouts of cities.
Archaeological testing, phytoliths and micromorphology techniques, are a new way of looking at public space.
Seven different locations were looked at when doing this research: the western shoreline and areas associated with wattle and daub housing.
[13] The last place looked at is the northern public space, showing with the phytolith research that there were possible garden plots or orchards in the area.
During excavations, a variety of domestic and household items were found in this area because it was so close to the houses.
Coins within the middens (refuse heaps) along with burials inside the back room suggest the house was not private, but a public space to do business.
[14] The evidence suggests that what played out within a city of trade is showing up in the houses that people live in.
‘Ali b. al-Hasan markings make up most of the types of Kilwa coins at Songo Mnara.
[15] Coins could have been left on the surface from other people, as they predate when the site was occupied, due to dates earlier than occupation of the location.
[16] When looking at who traded with Songo Mnara, there was evidence of ceramic shards from China and southeast Asia.
Only a small amount of imported goods were found due to the agriculture that was carried out at the site.
[16] Between 2005 and 2009, the Zamani Project documented some of the Swahili ruins on Songo Mnara with terrestrial 3D laser scanning.
[17][18][19] Structures documented on Songo Mnara include: The palace, the mosque and a number of residential buildings.