Stone Town at Sunset

I had a chance to visit Zanzibar at the end of work trip to Dar es Salaam, and I captured a few pictures of Stone Town as the sun set.

Stone Town is the old area of Zanzibar City which was the capital of the Zanzibar Sultanate up until 1964 when the Sultan was deposed, after the British protectorate ended. It was a key hub in the spice and slave trades during the 19th century, but it is greatly diminished today, with most of its grander buildings in disrepair. The ornate doors dotted around the many narrow alleys however, have stood the test of time, and you can lose yourself in these back streets quite easily on the hunt for the best.

The picture below shows a view across the harbour and some of the traditional dhow sailing boats in the distance. There was a young boy dong shuttle runs up and down the beach and I caught him as he came back along.

The second picture shows the view from my hotel room across the rooftops. They are in a bit of a sorry state, rusting away, but in the fading light the scene looks quite pretty.

The clock tower you can see top right is part of the House of Wonders, which was built by the Second Sultan of Zanzibar in 1883 as a ceremonial palace. It now houses the Museum of History and Culture of Zanzibar.

This is my first go at travel blogging so if you like what you see, please upvote and reply to let me know.

Thanks