Hotels in Zanzibar Stone Town
It may not have a particularly romantic name, but Stone Town is the old city
and cultural heart of Zanzibar, little changed in the last 200 years. It is a place of winding
alleys, bustling bazaars, mosques and grand Arab houses whose original owners vied with each
other over the extravagance of their dwellings. This one-upmanship is particularly
reflected in the brass-studded, carved, wooden doors - there are more than 500
different examples of this handiwork. You can spend many idle hours and
days just wandering through the fascinating labyrinth of narrow
streets and alleyways.
Most of the houses that can be seen today were built in the 19th century
when Zanzibar was one of the most important trading centres in the Indian Ocean region.
The coraline rock of Zanzibar was a good building material, but it is also easily
eroded. This is evident by the large number of houses that are in a bad state
of repair. Several buildings have already been renovated and the Stone
Town Conservation Authority has been established to co-ordinate
the restoration of the town to its original magnificence.
We recommend to have even a single night in
Zanziba Stone Town.
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