[2] Tumbatu is a little bit isolated from the rest of Zanzibar despite having a southern side that is only 2 km (1.2 miles) long and surrounded by a reef from Mkokotoni on the island.

In Zanzibar, the Swahili settlement of Tumbatu was a "higher order" state centre from 1100 to approximately 1300 AD.

Because of their remote location from the capital and the unsuitability of their soil for the plantation cultivation practised in central Unguja, the Tumbatu people managed to maintain a degree of relative independence during this period.

[8] When Seyyid Said bin Sultan of Oman arrived in Zanzibar on January 28, 1828, he discovered that the Hadimu and Tumbatu tribes made up the majority of the Unguja island's population, with the exception of Arab towns and the slave population that lived there.

Tumbatu and Hadimu are still scattered settlements along the sixth parallel, each of which is adamant about maintaining its unique tribal identity.