STONE TOWN TOUR EXPERIENCE IN ZANZIBAR WITH AFRICANMECCA

Your Stone Town tour of Zanzibar with AfricanMecca will be marked by many moments of wonder as you view the charms of this old metropolis that has retained its essence, but also has favorably, albeit cautiously embraced the elements of modernization. Every nuance of its vibrant history is evident in the beautiful buildings, some that whisper about the Omani advent in Zanzibar and others that speak about the origins of Swahili architecture fused with a Persian Shirazi influence.

The narrow streets are lined with many residential houses that preserve their original Swahili-Omani themes with exquisitely carved doorways with metal studs, overhanging balconies and latticed windows (read more on hotels options in Stone Town). Side by side, you will see churches that are evidently continental due to the colonial presence and the many mosques commissioned by the olden Sultans of Zanzibar.



Step into the House of Wonders and visit the 17th-century built fort. You could also check out the one-time slave market that Zanzibar was repentantly renowned for. To lay your finger on the pulse of the old town, you must take a walking tour through its enchanting labyrinth alleyways.

Begin your journey of exploration of Zanzibar’s market where locals buy just about any perishable from reaped fishes just from the deep waters to recently harvested vegetables and outlandish fruits like shoki-shoki (rambutan), custard apple, durian, fenesi and bungo to name a few.



With the taste of the flavors still on your tongue to sample the fruits, head out to the Anglican Church that was built to bond religious gaps and in celebration of the end of all traces of the slave trade. Its foundations stand at the exact location where slaves were traded and the church altars were built in place of the whipping pole that stood in the slave bazaar.

Here, you will learn that the Sultan of Zanzibar abolished slavery in 1873 in a treaty with its commercial partner in slavery, the British Empire, as a result of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 under English law. Next, your well-informed AfricanMecca guide will lead you to Sultan's Palace Museum (Beit-al-Sahel) and House of Wonders (Beit-al-Ajaib) that houses a collection of personal items from the royal rulers of Zanzibar.



Go on to the Tippu Tip’s House, Africa House that was once a British Club, the Old Fort, Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Jamaat Dispensary and Forodhani Gardens. End your journey on this leg of your cultural and historical vacation in this part of Africa with a souvenir extravaganza at the small stores along the narrow streets and haggle for delicate jewelry, distinct Swahili clothing, hand-carved curios and paintings (read more on why you should visit Zanzibar).