Stone Town

Stonetown of Zanzibar(Arabic:مدينة زنجبار الحجرية,romanized:madīnat Zanjibār al-ḥajariyya), also known asMji Mkongwe(Swahilifor 'old town'), is the old part ofZanzibar City, the main city ofZanzibar, inTanzania. The newer portion of the city is known asNg'ambo, Swahili for 'the other side'. Stone Town is located on the western coast ofUnguja, the main island of theZanzibar Archipelago. Former capital of theZanzibar Sultanate, and flourishing centre of thespice tradeas well as theIndian Ocean slave tradein the 19th century, it retained its importance as the main city of Zanzibar during the period of the British protectorate.WhenTanganyikaand Zanzibar joined each other to form theUnited Republic of Tanzania, Zanzibar kept a semi-autonomous status, with Stone Town as its local government seat.
Stone Town is a city of prominent historical and artistic importance inEast Africa. Its architecture, mostly dating back to the 19th century, reflects the diverse influences underlying theSwahili culture, giving a unique mixture of Arab,Persian, Indian and European elements. For this reason, the town was designated as a UNESCOWorld Heritage Sitein 2000.
Due to its heritage, Stone Town is also a majorvisitor attractionin Tanzania, and a large part of its economy depends ontourism-related activities.
The heart of Stone Town mostly consists of a maze of narrow alleys lined by houses, shops,bazaarsandmosques. Since most streets are too narrow for cars, the town is crowded withbicyclesandmotorbikes. The seafront has wider streets and larger, more regularly placed buildings.
Stone Town's architecture has a number of distinctive features, as a result of Arab, Persian, Indian, European, and African traditions mixing together. The name "Stone Town" comes from the ubiquitous use ofcoral stoneas the main construction material; this stone gives the town a characteristic, reddish warm colour.Traditional buildings have abaraza, a long stone bench along the outside walls; this is used as an elevated sidewalk if heavy rains make the streets impracticable, or otherwise as benches to sit down, rest, socialize.Another key feature of most buildings is largeverandasprotected by carved woodenbalustrades. The best-known feature of Zanzibari houses are the finely decorated wooden doors, with rich carvings andbas-reliefs, sometimes with big brass studs of Indian tradition.Two main types of doors can be distinguished: those of Indian style have rounded tops, while those in the Omani Arab style are rectangular. Carvings are oftenIslamicin content (for example, many consist of verses of theQur'an), but other symbolism is occasionally used, e.g., Indianlotus flowersas emblems of prosperity.
Stone Town is punctuated with major historical buildings, several of which are found on the seafront; these include former palaces of the sultans, fortifications, churches, mosques, and other institutional buildings.
While Stone Town was included in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in 2000, this designation does not provide complete protection for the town's heritage. Despite the establishment of a Conservation Authority,about 80% of the 1,709 buildings of Stone Town are in a deteriorating condition.As coral stone is very friable, frequent maintenance is needed for most of these buildings. Some major restoration projects (especially on the seafront) have been done in recent times by theAga Khan Trust for Culture(AKTC).
A Greco-Roman text between the 1st and 3rd centuries, thePeriplus of the Erythraean Sea, mentioned the island ofMenuthias(Ancient Greek:Μενουθιάς), which is probablyUnguja.Zanzibar, like the nearby coast, was settled by Bantu-speakers at the outset of the first millennium. Archaeological finds at Fukuchani, on the north-west coast of Zanzibar, indicate a settled agricultural and fishing community from the 6th century CE at the latest. The considerable amount of daub found indicates timber buildings, and shell beads, bead grinders, and iron slag have been found at the site. There is evidence for limited engagement in long-distance trade: a small amount of imported pottery has been found, less than 1% of total pottery finds, mostly from the Gulf and dated to the 5th to 8th century. The similarity to contemporary sites such as Mkokotoni and Dar es Salaam indicate a unified group of communities that developed into the first center of coastal maritime culture. The coastal towns, including those on Zanzibar, appear to have been engaged in Indian Ocean trade at this early period. Trade rapidly increased in importance and quantity beginning in the mid-8th century and by the close of the 10th century Zanzibar was one of the central Swahili trading towns.
Shangani, the original fishing town that developed into Stone Town, was a small, largely unimportant Swahili site founded in the 11th century. Bigger towns atUnguja Ukuu,Kizimkazi, andTumbatuwere the island's powers from the 8th to the 16th century. The Portuguese built a church at Shangani in the early 16th century, and the Queen of northernUngujahad a house built there in the mid-17th century. When the Portuguese were ousted by Zanzibaris and Pembans in the 17th century, local patricians invited the Sultan of Oman to wield political power in exchange for defense against Portuguese reprisals. Part of the Portuguese church was built into the Omani fort, which housed roughly fifty soldiers. The Sultan also appointed a local governor, but political authority was still largely vested in the Mwinyi Mkuu, at this timeQueen Fatima.
Excavations at nearby Pemba Island, but especially at Shanga in the Lamu Archipelago, provide the clearest picture of architectural development. Houses were originally built with timber (c. 1050) and later in mud with coral walls (c. 1150). The houses were continually rebuilt with more permanent materials. By the 13th century, houses were built with stone, and bonded with mud, and the 14th century saw the use of lime to bond stone. Only the wealthier patricians would have had stone and lime built houses, the strength of the materials allowing for flat roofs, while the majority of the population lived in single-story thatched houses similar to those from the 11th and 12th centuries. According to Tom Middleton and Mark Horton, the architectural style of these stone houses have no Arab or Persian elements, and should be viewed as an entirely indigenous development of local vernacular architecture. While much of Zanzibar Town's architecture was rebuilt during Omani rule, nearby sites elucidate the general development of Swahili, and Zanzibari, architecture before the 15th century.
Stone Town is located along a natural harbour and the first Europeans to set foot on the island ofZanzibarwere the Portuguese. The Portuguese ruled the island for over two centuries and began constructing Stone Town's first stone structure, theOld Fort.However, towards the end of the 17th century theSultanate of Omantook over the island and completed the fort to prevent future attacks.  The first stone houses in Stone Town probably began to be built in the early 1800s, gradually replacing an earlier fishing village around theOld Fort.At the time theSultanate of Omancontrolled theZanzibar Archipelago,Mombasaand theSwahili coast.
In 1824,SultanSaid bin Sultanmoved his seat fromMuscat, Oman, to Stone Town, which thus entered an era of quick development as the new capital of the Sultanate of Oman and Zanzibar. With the British outlawing theslave trade in the Indian Ocean, theSultanate'sfortunes crashed. The Muscat economy was in shambles and many Omanis migrated to Zanzibar. The increase in the Arab population on the island facilitated further growth and more buildings began to spring up in the town. Furthermore, grand royal structures like theHouse of Wondersand theSultan's Palacewere also built. In 1861, as a consequence of awar of successionwithin the Omani royal family, Zanzibar and Oman were separated, with Zanzibar becoming an independent sultanate under SultanMajid bin Said.
In the 19th century Stone Town flourished as a trading centre. It was especially renowned for the commerce ofspices(mostlycloves) andslaves. Around middle of the century, the sultanate had a close relationship with the British;David Livingstone, for example, is known to have stayed in Stone Town in 1866 while he was preparing his final expedition into the interior of East Africa.In the same period, several immigrant communities fromOman,Persiaand India formed as a consequence of the town's intense commercial activity. The Sultan of Zanzibar encouraged immigration of foreign traders who became very wealthy and settled in the city who brought diversity to the city's architecture.
In the last decades of the century, theSultans of Zanzibargradually lost their possessions in mainlandEast Africato theGerman Empireand the United Kingdom. In 1890, with theHeligoland-Zanzibar Treaty, Zanzibar itself became a Britishprotectorate.In 1896, a sudden rebellion of the Zanzibari Omanis against the British rule led to theAnglo-Zanzibar War, which is remembered as the shortest war in history: the Sultan surrendered after 45 minutes ofnaval bombardmentof Stone Town by theRoyal Navy.
During the period of British protection, the Sultan still retained some power and Stone Town remained a relatively important trading centre for the informal trade. Though the town previously had a small railway the British constructed arailwayfrom the Town toBububuvillage. The British did not fund major developments in the town and allowed the sultan to manage the islands affairs from Stone Town.The British gave privileges toMombasaandDar es Salaamas their trading stations in East Africa.
In 1964, Stone Town was the theatre of theZanzibar Revolution, which brought about the removal of the sultan and the birth of asocialistgovernment led by theAfro-Shirazi Party(ASP). More than 20,000 people were killed and refugees, especially Arabs and Indians, escaped the island as a consequence of the revolution.The Arabs and Indians left behind everything they had and the ASP quickly occupied old homes and converted them into public buildings. In 1964, whenTanganyikaand Zanzibar combined to formTanzania, Stone Town kept its role as a capital and government seat for Zanzibar, which was declared a semi-autonomous part of the new nation.
Stone Town is located roughly in the middle of the west coast ofUnguja, on a smallpromontoryprotruding into theZanzibar Channel. The closest major settlement on the Tanzanian coast, opposite Stone Town, isBagamoyo(to the south-west).Stone Town is part ofZanzibar City, which also includes the 'New City' ofNg'ambo("the Other Side"), which mostly extends in the interior of Unguja to the south-east. The dividing line between Stone Town and Ng'ambo is Creek Road, later renamed to Benjamin Mkapa Road, marking the west side of the now reclaimed creek that separated them.
The streets in Stone Town are very narrow and almost getting anywhere within the town must be done on foot. The narrow streets provide shade and almost everything is accessible from within the town. However, on slightly wider roads historically bicycles and now most recently motor cycles are used to transport people and goods. The town is accessible from Zanzibar and the rest of the region through three possible ports of entry.
The main form of public transport in Zanzibar are thedaladalashare taxis; and the main station is located by the Darajani Market. Daladalas connect Stone Town to several island locations, such asBububu(a village north of Stone Town), the airport, theAmaan Stadium, Jangombe, andMagomeni, Zanzibar.For longer trips, "mabasi" (Swahili for "bus", singular "basi") are available, which are trucks adapted for passenger transport. The main "mabasi" station is also close to the Market and the "mabasi" network stretch across the entire island and is the cheapest form of long-distance transit.
The main Zanzibar island harbour is in the heart of Stone Town and regular ferries fromDar es SalaamandPembaconnect the town to the mainland.The town is also in close proximity to the Island's major airport.Zanzibar Airport, 9 kilometres (5.6 miles) south of Stone Town has flights to mainland Tanzania (especiallyArushaandDar es Salaam) as well as other African main airports such asNairobi,Mombasa, andJohannesburg.
Stone Town along with the entireZanzibar Archipelagoexperiences a similar climate throughout the year. The island has a hottropicalweather all year round with the hottest months being February and March and the cooler months being July and August. During most months of the year there is significant rainfall with a long rain season spanning from March–May and a shorter rain season from November–December.The lesser dry season occurs between December–February and May–August and consequently is the peak tourist season due tobeach tourismon the island.