The House of Wonders, Dr. Livingstone's House and Arab forts are all located in Stone Town. The most remarkable feature of Stone Town are the huge wooden doors of many of the residential homes. During the construction of these homes, the doors were the first to be erected. The massive wooden doors represented the wealth of the family, the more ornamental the door the more money the family had. If you look closely at any of the doors, you'll find carvings of animals, vines, trees, and fish, all of which convey meanings such as power, long life, and fertility.
Many doors also have Arabic script carved above the entryway.
The script usually refers to Arabic blessings to be bestowed upon the house and its occupants. Many of the doors are also studded with large brass knobs. These knobs, it is believed, are used to prevent entry by ramming elephants. For many years, Zanzibar was full of elephant herds that have long since been extinct on the island due to poaching. The beauty of Stone Town is literally crumbling to death and many of the residential homes are dangerously close to collapsing.