Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
What about the small, simple doors on houses in the villages?
Poor people
can't buy them. All that you see are old.
How many doors do you make every month?
About seven. In the beginning I
only made one door every month.
Is pride in Zanzibar culture growing?
It's not about culture, it's just about
decoration. They like it so they buy it from me. I also don't care about the cul-
ture; I'm just looking for the money and good business.
How do you choose the design?
I don't use a book; it comes direct from my
mind. The customer coming to buy the door doesn't care about the design, so I
can choose it for them and they will be happy. There's no meaning in the design
now. People used to have lines from the Quran, but nobody asks for that now.
Old Dispensary
HISTORIC BUILDING
(Mizingani Rd) Near the port, the Old Dispensary was built at the turn of the 20th century
by a wealthy Indian merchant, and later renovated by the Aga Khan Charitable Trust. It
currently houses shops and offices.
Victoria Hall & Gardens
HISTORIC BUILDING
(Kaunda Rd) Diagonally opposite Mnazi Mmoja hospital, this imposing building housed
the legislative council during the British era. It's not open to the public, but you can walk
in the small surrounding gardens. Opposite is the
State House
, also closed to the public.
Mbweni
HISTORIC SITE
About 5km south of Zanzibar Town, Mbweni was the site of a 19th-century UMCA mis-
sion station that was used as a settlement for freed slaves. In addition to the small and
still functioning St John's Anglican church, dating to the 1880s, you can see the ruins of
the UMCA's St Mary's School for Girls, set amid lush gardens on the grounds of Mbweni
Ruins Hotel (
Click here
)
.
Maruhubi Palace
RUINS
This once-imposing palace, 4km north of Zanzibar Town, was built by Sultan Barghash in
1882 to house his large harem. In 1899 it was almost totally destroyed by fire, although
the remaining ruins (primarily columns that once supported an upper terrace, an overhead
aqueduct and small reservoirs covered with water lilies) hint at its previous scale. The ruins
are just west of the Bububu road and signposted.
Mtoni Palace
RUINS
