Zanzibar's ancient heart — labyrinthine alleys, carved doors, and the Indian Ocean
Stone Town is the old city and cultural heart of Zanzibar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where Arabic, Persian, Indian, and East African influences have merged over a thousand years of Indian Ocean trade. The maze of narrow alleys, ornately carved wooden doors, and crumbling coral-stone buildings form one of Africa's most atmospheric old towns. It was the 19th century's most important hub for the Arab slave trade — the old slave market is now an Anglican cathedral — and the birthplace of Freddie Mercury. The spice trade that made Zanzibar famous (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon) is still alive at the…
Zanzibar's strategic position in the Indian Ocean made it a node of trade between Arabia, Persia, India, and the East African coast for over a thousand years. The Sultanate of Oman moved its capital from Muscat to Zanzibar in 1840 under Sultan Seyyid Said, making it the most powerful Arab state in Africa and the world's largest clove producer. The slave trade through Zanzibar was enormous — an estimated 50,000 slaves per year passed through the market at its peak. British pressure ended the slave trade in 1873 and formal slavery in 1897. Zanzibar became a British protectorate in 1890, gained…