Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Beit el-Ajaib (House of Wonders)
MUSEUM
(Mizingani Rd; adult/child US$4/1; 9am-6pm) One of the most prominent buildings in
the old Stone Town, this elegant edifice is now home to the
Zanzibar National Museum
of History & Culture
. It's also one of the largest structures in Zanzibar. It was built in
1883 by Sultan Barghash (r 1870-88) as a ceremonial palace. In 1896 it was the target of a
British naval bombardment, the object of which was to force Khalid bin Barghash, who had
tried to seize the throne after the death of Sultan Hamad (r 1893-96), to abdicate in favour
of a British nominee. After it was rebuilt, Sultan Hamoud (r 1902-11) used the upper floor
as a residential palace until his death. Later it became the local political headquarters of
the CCM. Its enormous doors are said to be the largest carved doors in East Africa. Inside
it houses exhibits on the dhow culture of the Indian Ocean (ground floor) and on Swahili
civilisation and 19th-century Zanzibar (1st floor). Everything is informatively labelled in
English and Swahili, and well worth visiting. Just inside the entrance is a life-size
mtepe,
a traditional Swahili sailing vessel made without nails, the planks held together with only
coconut fibres and wooden pegs.
STONE TOWN'S ARCHITECTURE
Stone Town's architecture is a fusion of Arabic, Indian, European and African
influences. Arabic buildings are often square, with two or three storeys. Rooms
line the outer walls, allowing space for an inner courtyard and verandahs, and
cooling air circulation. Indian buildings, also several storeys high, generally in-
clude a shop on the ground floor and living quarters above, with ornate facades
and balconies. A common feature is the
baraza,
a stone bench facing onto the
street that serves as a focal point around which townspeople meet and chat.
The most famous feature of Zanzibari architecture is the carved wooden door.
There are more than 500 remaining today in Stone Town, many of which are
older than the houses in which they are set. The door, which was often the first
part of a house to be built, served as a symbol of the wealth and status of a
household. While older (Arabic) doors have a square frame with a geometrical
shape, 'newer' doors - many of which were built towards the end of the 19th
century and incorporate Indian influences - often have semicircular tops and in-
tricate floral decorations.
Many older doors are decorated with carvings of passages from the Quran.
Other commonly seen motifs include images representing items desired in the
household, such as a fish (expressing the hope for many children), chains (dis-
playing the owner's wish for security) or the date tree (a symbol of prosperity).
The lotus motif signifies regeneration and reproductive power, while the styl-
