Stone Town or Mji Mkongwe, in Swahili meaning ancient town, is the old part of Zanzibar City, the capital of the island of Zanzibar, a part of Tanzania.
The old town is built on a triangular peninsula of land on the western coast of the island. The oldest part of the town consists of a warren of narrow alleys to house, shops, bazaar and mosque. Cars are often too wide to drive down many of the maze of winding streets.
Its Swahili architecture incorporates elements of Arab, Persian, India, Europe and African styles. The Arab houses are particularly noticeable because they have large and ornately carved wooden doors and other unusual features such as enclosed wooden verandas.
The site has probably been occupied for around three centuries with buildings only being constructed with stone since the 1830s.
Two large buildings dominate the main front of Stone Town. One is Beit-El-Ajaib or the House of Wonders, which was built by Sultan Seyyid Barghash as a grand palace for ceremonial...
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