Aaprivasi Ghat, Mauritius

Aaprivasi Ghat in Port Lewis is of major significance in Mauritian history. The term ghat comes from Hindi where it can refer to a series of steps leading down to the water, which is the case here.
This world heritage site preserves the remains of an immigration depot built in 1849. After the UK outlawed slavery in 1834, they began an experiment of using indentured labor. It all began here. From 1834 to 1920 workers arrived at most British oversea locations, but the largest was here: 420,000 people. Today, 7 out of every 10 people in Mauritius are descended from these indentured laborers
The 1st picture is of a model of the site when it was active.
The 2nd picture is of one wall. The windows open into rooms where new arrival's were housed. Typically they remained at the ghat for a couple days for paperwork to be completed.
The 3rd picture looks over the remains of some of the housing for new arrivals.
The 4th picture is in the 1st courtyard where new arrivals went when they came off their ships.
The 5th picture looks at the hospital block. This is the part of the site that remained in the best condition. Some restoration work has been done.
The last picture looks at some of the restoration work. Most of what you can see is original.Read more