Buildings made of coral stone connect Zanzibar to an ancient legacy of Swahili stone cities along East Africa’s coast. By the 1800s, the island was the “capital of an Afro-Arab dynasty...a gateway to Africa. Through its portals passed not only slaves, spices, and ivory, but also missionaries, explorers and conquerors,” explains Zanzibar historian Abdul Shariff.

Zanzibar’s impressive stone houses were made from coral stone cut into bricks. Wealthy merchants erected Stone Town in the 1800s, and although much has changed, owning a stone house remains a sign of prestige. Less affluent people lived outside Stone Town, in wooden or mud-walled houses with grass or palm-leaf roofs. Today, Stone Town is part of the modern city of Zanzibar.

Monumental stone walls guard family privacy, while massive doors signify the owners’ wealth.

Doorways, historically the first part of a stone house to be erected, lead to interior courtyards and intimate rooms. Outside the house, narrow lanes lead to main streets that converge at public plazas.