Around and about the coral walls of Stone Town

Named for its coral stone buildings, Stone Town is located in the middle of the west coast of Unguja. The main island is described as the largest town in the archipelago.  Starting off as a fishing village, most of these coral buildings were constructed in the 19th century, and today, according to records, has about […]

Named for its coral stone buildings, Stone Town is located in the middle of the west coast of Unguja. The main island is described as the largest town in the archipelago.  Starting off as a fishing village, most of these coral buildings were constructed in the 19th century, and today, according to records, has about 1,700 such buildings still standing.
Multiple storey buildings form walls and fences around and about the town’s ancient alleys which make room mostly for only pedestrians, cyclists and vendors to maze through as tourists explore the historic sites and monuments of the town.
Most of the buildings are still preserved in their original form, tour guide, Haji Mohammed, informed tourists just as he yelled ‘watch out’ to an unsuspecting tourist who narrowly missed being hit by a motorbike.
Colonised by the Arabs who brought Islam to the area and also encouraged Indians to settle there,   the architecture is mostly Arabic, which means the walls are very thick,  the houses are tall ,   with square and simple facades. Many of the buildings have a central courtyard going up through all the floors, giving ventilation.
The House of Wonders
Currently undergoing renovation and shut to tourists, when our reporter visited the House of Wonders is so called, because it was the first building in Zanzibar to have electricity and a lift and to  be filled with beautiful artefacts. Also known as Beit el Ajaib, the Arabic translation, the house was built by Sultan Barghash in 1883 as a ceremonial palace, on the site of a former building used by Queen Fatuma of the Al Alawi rulers who preceded the Albusaidis.
Overlooking the Indian Ocean, the 1896 war referred to as the ‘Shortest War in History’ the British Bombardment of Zanzibar slightly destroyed the building as it was later used as office until the 1964 revolution.
The building served as the headquarters for the Chapa Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) also known as the Party of the Revolution, in 1977 before it was restored and converted into a museum.
Forodhani: Garden at day, food court at night
At day time, the Forodhani garden is a rest place for workers who come to relax in its cosy shades or for tourists taking a rest from long treks of sightseeing as petty traders and food vendors beckon on them for patronage.
As evening sets in, it gradually transits into a bubbling food court selling all sorts from fresh seafood to snacks, fried chicken, samosas, sugarcane juice, small kebabs, potatoes, cassava and Zanzibari style pizza which is basically a crepe stuffed with anything from eggs, tomatoes, cheese onions to Nutella chocolate spread.
It is a beehive of activities as many are drawn to the arena even if only to enjoy the cool night’s breeze from the ocean below.
The Old Fort
Now used as an arts and crafts market, Zanzibar’s Old Fort was built by Seyyid Said’s grandfather on the site of a Portuguese chapel and stone residence in the 1700s after expelling them. Initially used as a repelling point by the Arabs against the Portuguese and the Mazruis, who were their allies and occupied Mombasa, in the 19th Century the fort was converted into, a garrison and prison. It also at the start of the century became a depot for the Bububu Railway Line (Zanzibar Railways). A new guard house was built in 1947 and used as the ladies club.
Now also a centre for music lessons where children are taught to play different instruments, the fort is also a haven for artists who specialise in Tanzania’s tinga tinga art amongst other forms of visual arts. Women who specialise in body art designs with the use of henna, have a presence there,  as the Old Fort also offers tourists an opportunity to taste Zanzibar’s fine cuisine as well as an open air theatre which was added in the 1990s where dramas and music performances take place. It is now the headquarters of the Zanzibar International Film Festival.
Darajani Bazaar
In every sense of the word, Darajani Bazaar is indeed a bazaar and rightly described as Zanzibar’s ‘mall’. Located across Creek Road near the main market on Darajani Road the shopping strip is a fun walk and a must avoid the ‘in-town’ prices across the street.
Typical of the Nigerian experience when foreigners shop, vendors lure prospective buyers to their stalls with freebies and tastes of some of their commodities. The market offers tourists a variety of options on local and foreign wares to stock up on especially good quality cotton fabrics many with semblance to ankara wax.
The Hamamni Persian Baths
Zanzibar’s Hamamni Persian Baths, were built for public use for a fee and are located in the middle of Islands ancient city, Stone Town. Built in the 1880s by Haji Gulamhussein and commissioned by Sultan Barghash bin Said, son of the first and greatest Sultan Said. Literarily translated as ‘place of the baths’ the neighbourhood where it exists now goes by the same name.  
No longer in use, the bath tubs are still there and the hexagonal water fountain which served them but without water supply. Public washed their feet in the fountain before proceeding to bath areas. They have been beautifully restored and are well worth a visit.
The front rooms were used for changing, barbering, paying dues and socializing while long halls lead to the warm room that was heated by underground hot-water aqueducts. Other rooms include hot baths, cold baths, toilets and private shaving areas. The original building was larger and featured an arcade and restaurant but that part has since been turned into private residences. Although they were public, the baths were frequented by the wealthy classes only; the poorer classes could not afford such a luxury.
Introduced by the Sultan in the 19th century, the entrance fee was about ten cents and was therefore only for the upper classes. Although the baths were open to both men and women, they had separate hours of admittance, open to women in the mornings and men in the afternoons. It was (and still is) customary for married Muslim men and women to rid themselves of all body hair, so shaving vestibules were provided within the bathhouse.
Malindi Mosque
One of Stone Town’s oldest mosques, the Malindi Mosque was built by the Sunni sect in a typically simple style. This mosque is unusual because its minaret is conical, one of only three in East Africa. Another unusual trait is that the minaret sits on a square platform instead of starting from the ground as most minarets do.
To see the minaret one needs to stand on a baraza (stone or cement benches on the outside of Swahili style buildings) in a neighbouring building that is down an alley and across the road from the mosque itself. A guide helps tourirst to find the best view of the minaret and the door. Across from the mosque entrance is an old mausoleum, one of the few left in Stone Town.
The Palace Museum
This lies on the harbour road, looking out to sea. It is the most recent of the Sultans’ Palaces, occupied by the last members of the Al Busid dynasty until they fled Zanzibar in 1964. This Palace was partly built on the site of the Beit el Sahel, which was erected by the first Sultan, Seyyid Said around 1832 but destroyed in the British Bombardment of 1896. The Palace Museum is very interesting, having many artefacts, papers and pictures pertaining to the Sultans. The Palace also has other rooms on display showing a mix of various types of furniture acquired by the sultans over the years. The rooms are in various states of disrepair but provide a good idea about the quality of life for the sultan’s family toward the end of their reign. There is a room devoted to Princess Salme, a daughter of Seyyid Said who eloped with a German merchant in 1866. It contains family photographs and excerpts from her book entitled, “Memoirs of an Arabian Princess,” as well as a sample of her typical wardrobe.
Salme’s book is an account of her life in the royal court of Zanzibar in the 1800’s. It is considered to be a very important work because it is the only one of its kind. Women in the royal court of Oman and Zanzibar were not taught to read or write (outside of basic Koran lessons) and therefore there are no written legacies that describe what life was like for them, except for Salme’s.
Additional materials used in this report were gathered from printed tour guides.