Zanzibar Town Favorites

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Favorite thing: Territorial/ Colonial disputes between Britain and Germany, led to what has been recorded as the `shortest war in history'.

Britain attacked Zanzibar August 25 1896, when the Sultan of Zanzibar, with German support, tried to defy its prevailing influence in the region.
A fleet of British warships bombed the island and the Sultans palace, leaving it in ruins and with hundreds dead.
The `war' lasted all of 45 mins, before the Sultan surrendered, and the battle is officially listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the shortest war in history.

Favorite thing: At the 5th of September 1946 Farok Bulsara was born in Stone town to a family of wealthy Zoroastrian Parsee immigrants from India.
Farok Bulsara is better known in the world as Freddie Mercury, the flamboyant singer of the rock group Queen. Farok left the island at the age of nine for a boardig school in India and never returned to Zanzibar. Freddie Mercury died on the 24th of November 1991.

Various houses in the Shangani part of the town claim, that Freddie lived there. The most likely is the building on Kenyatta Road of the closed Camlurs Restaurant. Another place to go is is Mercury's restaurant at the Mizingani Road, opposite the Big Tree. Here you can get some more information or buy a T-shirt.

Favorite thing: When you are strolling around in the alleyways of Stone Town, there is more than enough to see at eyes height. But its also worth not to forget to look up, to see the many lovely balconies and verandas.

The Indian merchants at Zanzibar often started with buying a Arab or Swahili house, to which they added their characteristic outer verandas, to increase ventilation. Later they built their houses on Indian design with elaborate verandas with intricate railings and fascia boards.

Favorite thing: In the newer southern section of Stone Town in Shangani and Baghani, where many Omani landowners and Indian merchants were settled, we saw the most decorated doors, also newer ones.

The main feature of these doors was the abundantly carved frames, central pillars and the semicircular area above the door. The abstract motifs were often lotus or rosette patterns. Also you can see sometimes themes reflecting the profession of the owner.

Favorite thing: Some doors in Stone Town are plain with only decorated doorframes and lintels. Other doors have also carved centre posts and are studded with dhow nails and reinforced at the back with cross bars of iron and wood.

The design of the doors with iron or brass studs came from the Indian continent, originally used as defence against war elephants. Allthough there were no war elephants in Stone Town, the studs fitted well in the Arab ideal of defence of their residence.

Fondest memory: To see the mixture of different cultural influences, so typical for Zanzibar.

Favorite thing: In the 19th century the doors and doorframes became the favoured means of expression the grandeur of one's mansion. The elaborately carved Zanzibar doors in the white-washed walls became the most important feature of the external appearance of the house. Its quality and size were a mark of status and wealth of the owner.

In Zanzibar are 277 such doors, the largest concentration along the Swahili Coast, allthough they were diminishing, sold to tourists and hotels.

Fondest memory: Strolling in the alleyways of Stone Town and looking out for these treasures of decoration.

Favorite thing: The world of the narrow twisting alleyways is one world. The world of the rooftops is another. Many old mansions in the old town have a rooftop bar, like our hotel, from where you have nice views at the town and surrounding ocean.

During the 19th century many of the houses had flat stone terraces. Because the heavy rains destroyed the poles, supporting the roofs the houses were capped by roofs of iron sheets.

Fondest memory: It was wonderful to sit at the rooftopbar of our Arab mansion in the little breeze and have a look at the various colours of the roofs of iron and tiles. In the evening it was even better, seeing the lights of the town.

Favorite thing: Arriving by plane, like we did, you can see a lot of islands, just off shore from Stone Town. The islands are ringed by coral reefs. Some islands are just sandbanks, disappearing at high tide, but some are forested and have small beautiful beaches.
The view at the islands from the air is more spectacular than from the ferry.

A favourite island is the Prison Island or Changuu Island for a daytrip from Stone Town. In the past there was built a prison, which was never used. Today only the ruins are still there. There is a bar and restaurant. Our friend went there by daytrip.