Translated from Arabic the name means Haven of Peace - until last week Dar es Salaam had lived up to it.

The greater carnage in Nairobi may have overshadowed international coverage of Tanzania's first major paramilitary attack. But in a sleepy country, where no news is generally good news, there came a sudden realisation it could not entirely escape the chaos of the outside world.

The Israeli-built embassy remained standing after the blast

The bomb at the US embassy vibrated throughout the East African capital. Everyone in the city stopped what they were doing as the explosion rang out. Few immediately recognised what it was. As the first pictures arrived on the local and international networks the main reaction was disbelief.

For some young Tanzanians, this was coupled with a weird kind of pride. "We're on the news," said one teenager, staring at his television.

One of the slowest to react was Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa. He refused to cut short an overseas trip and failed to visit the bombsite until two days after the explosion. When he arrived, he deplored the attack as inhuman. But, in contrast to US President Bill Clinton's bold statement, Mr Mkapa made scant mention of catching the perpetrators. He promised to step up security. "We are more alert now than before," he said.

Ten killed were locals

The explosion was the first of its kind in the East African state

Compared to the scenes of total destruction and mayhem in Kenya, the Dar es Salaam embassy escaped lightly. Better security, in particular an exclusion zone between it and the busy street, meant neighbouring buildings were worst hit.

The bomb appeared to have gone off inside a water tank, which had been stopped at the gates of the embassy as it was being delivered. More than 20 other cars parked by the building were simply burnt out shells. Other than damage to one side, the embassy itself remained intact and standing.

The charge d'affaires at the embassy, John Lange, described the scene inside: "Air conditioners, window glasses and computers were scattered all over the office. We were very shocked to see the devastation inside the office. And yet nobody who was in the office died. A few workers sustained injuries."

US marines snubbed the Tanzanian president when he visited the bomb site

Despite this, the rumour in Dar es Salaam was that the Americans were furious at lax Tanzanian security checks, which had allowed the bombers to get as close as they did. Some local newspapers reported President Mkapa's claim that the attack was intended to destroy the "good relationship" between the US and Tanzania. None mentioned that the marines in charge of the clear-up operation were apparently so incensed they refused to even look at the president as he made his tour.

No Americans died in the attack. Whether this represents success or failure to those behind it can only be guessed. "What can you do with the terrorists?" asked one East African-Asian man. "If they have a vengeance against the Americans, they will kill 100 Africans just to kill one American."

There is little sympathy for the bombers in Tanzania but many say the United States meddles in African affairs, doing more harm than good. "The terrorists they think the local people working with the Americans make themselves a fair target," said Ijuma Mwila, a shop owner. "Some people here also think that may be the case."

Ill-equipped for disaster

Tanzania's previous brushes with politically-motivated violence had not given it the experience or the expectation to deal with last week's bomb. The only previous incidents of note came in the 1960s - when a postal bomb killed the leader of the Mozambique Liberation Front, Eduardo Mondlane, who was living in Tanzania - and the early 1980s, when a group attempted to blow up Dar es Salaam's only major bridge, which links the city to the rich Oyster Bay suburb.

For years, Dar es Salaam was also home to one of the most active East African offices of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. This, in part, accounts for the relatively high security of the US embassy: the Israelis originally built it, before former president Julius Nyerere severed relations in 1967 with the Jewish state.

On guard: Americans and Tanzanians are stepping up security after the attack

Those who dealt with the aftermath of the embassy blast admit they struggled to cope. A doctor at the Muhimbili Medical Centre, where the injured were taken, admitted it was only because they had heard about the bombing on the radio just after it happened that staff were able to provide adequate care.