The Stone Town of Zanzibar is a fine example of the Swahili coastal trading towns of East Africa. It retains its urban fabric and townscape virtually intact and contains many fine buildings that reflect its particular culture, which has brought together and homogenized disparate elements of the cultures of Africa, the Arab region, India, and Europe over more than a millennium.

Location and Values:  The Stone Town of Zanzibar is located on the sheltered west coast of the iconic tropical ‘spice island’ of Zanzibar.  It is a fine example of a Swahili coastal trading centre, built on the long tradition of trade and exchange between the African interior and the lands of Arabia and Asia.  

Established for at least 1,000 years, it remains a vibrant centre to this day and its architecture includes a fusion of many different elements and influences from Arabia, Persia, India, Europe and elsewhere.  Zanzibar played an important role in the slave trade, particularly during the 18^th century when slaves were required for plantation development in the Indian Ocean Islands.  Much of Stone Town is more recent, however, dating from the second half of the 19^th century, after the Sultan of Oman had moved his sultanate from Muscat to Zanzibar.