Stonetown is the historical capital of Zanzibar island, a wonderful tumbledown of palaces, bazaars and markets, one of the most atmospheric and fascinating places on the whole Swahili Coast. It used to be said that "when the flute played in Zanzibar the whole of Africa danced". Certainly for several centuries the sultans of this Arabic enclave held sway over huge tracts of the interior and dominated trade in silver, ivory and slaves.

Stone Town is the only functioning historical city in East Africa and is much the same today as it was 200 years ago. A city within a city, Stone Town is the oldest section of Zanzibar Town, and is made up of winding lanes and unique stone houses, many of which feature magnificent carved doors and overhanging fretwork balconies. The town was named for the coral stone buildings that were built there largely during the 19th century, on the site of a very old fishing village. There are over 16,000 people in the town today, and over 1,700 recorded buildings.

Any visitor with even the slightest cultural or historic interests should try to spend some time here, preferrably to overnight. Behind a thin tourist veneer, Stonetown remains a defiantly African place ... colourful, vivid and exciting, but by turns also raw, brooding and oppressive. In the year 2000, Zanzibar Stone Town got inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The streets are too narrow for cars but not for bicycles and even motorbikes, so visitors are urged to be careful! Life is lived very much as it was in the past and the many mosques’ muezzin calls can be heard echoing above the narrow streets five times daily. The architecture is Arabic, which means the walls are very thick, the houses tall and with square and simple facades. Many of the buildings have a central courtyard going up through all the floors, giving ventilation.

There are 51 mosques, whose muezzin cries vie with each other at prayer time, as well as 6 Hindu Temples and a Catholic as well as an Anglican Cathedral in this multi-ethnic town. There are many burial places around the outskirts, with interesting headstones and graves, and some important graves in the town itself, usually of religious leaders of the past.

Sights include: The Hamami Baths, built in 1870, The Africa House Hotel, once the British Club, the house of notorious slave-trader Tippu-Tip, the slave pit, the National Museum, the old Slave Market, the Church of Christ Cathedral (which stands over the central whipping block of the slave market), the Livingstone House, the Dhow Harbour, the House of Wonders, the Jamituru Gardens and night food market, the People’s Palace and the Arab Fort. Other sights just outside the city include the Persian Baths of Kidichi, the Maruhubi Palace Ruins, the Bububu railway and the Mangapwani Slave Caves.

Stone Town Places of interest:

The Old Dispensary (now known as the Stone Town Cultural Centre) is a grand four story building with a set of decorative balconies. It served as a dispensary during colonial times but fell into disrepair in the 1970's and 1980's. It is one of the Stone Town buildings that has been successfully restored, in this case with funding from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. It can be found on Zanzibar's seafront on Mizingani road.

The market is a great place to visit even if you don't want to buy anything. It is a vibrant place where everything under the sun is bought and sold. People bring their produce here from all over the island, and other people come to buy things they can't get in their own villages. Of special interest is the huge selection of brightly colored khangas (worn by the local women) and the auctions that are held regularly.

Livingston's' House was built around 1860 for Sultan Majid, and was used by many of the missionaries and explorers as a starting point. Most notably, Dr David Livingston's lived here before commencing his last journey to the mainland interior.

The Peace Memorial Museum is an interesting look at Zanzibar's history. It has sections on archaeology, early trade, slavery, palaces, mosques, sultans, explorers (includes Dr Livingston's' medical chest), missionaries, colonial administrators, traditional crafts and household items, stamps, coins, fishing, and clove cultivation.

The Palace Museum is a large white building with castellated battlements, and was built in the late 1890's for members of the Sultan's family. Originally called the Sultan's Palace, in 1911 it became the official residence of the Sultan of Zanzibar, but following the revolution in 1964, it was renamed the Peoples' Palace. In 1994, the palace was turned into a museum dedicated to the history of Zanzibar's Sultans which necessitated a third change of name to the Palace Museum. For the first time, visitors can see much of the Sultans' furniture and other possessions that survived the revolution.

The House of Wonders is a very large square-shaped building, with several stories, surrounded by tiers of pillars and balconies, and topped by a large clock tower. It was built in 1883 as a ceremonial palace for Sultan Barghash and was the first in Zanzibar to have electric light and an electric lift. Not surprisingly, when it was built, the local people called it Beit el Ajaib, meaning the House of Wonders. Today, it is still one of the largest buildings in Zanzibar, and there are plans to open it as the National Museum.

The Arab Fort is situated next to the House of Wonders and was built between 1698 and 1701 by the Busaidi group of Omani Arabs. It is a large building with high, dark brown walls. topped by castellated battlements. The fort is open to visitors and now contains various shops and an open air theatre.