19 February 2015

Stone Town

It may not have a particularly romantic name but its setting in a crystalline azure sea with white beaches and coralline reefs conjurs up a dreamy image. Stone Town is the heart and soul of the spice island of Zanzibar. It is a magical place of winding alleys, mosques and bustling bazaars. Many grand buildings reflect the Arab, Indian, African and European influences. Stone Town was recently and deservedly declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

It is also the birthplace of Freddie Mercury


Open air theatre in The Old Fort 


Museum

Anglican Christchurch Cathedral, site of the former slave market



In the grounds of the Cathedral are some sculptures of chained slaves,
and inside are rooms where they were held. 
It was distressing imagining what those desolate souls had to endure,
especially the children




I love old colonial buildings

The markets are brilliant, selling everything - meat, fish, bread, fruit and veg,
all manner of groceries, sweets, household items
and of course a plethora of delectable spices



After lunch my guide introduced me to my next guide who took me over to Prison Island, 
my next post, coming soon.

7 comments:

  1. I've always imagined Zanzibar to be fascinating Polly and your images of Stone Town show this to be true.. I had no idea Freddie Mercury was born there :) and imagining slaves being bought and sold here is rather shocking! Love the colonial buildings, they do pop up all around the world don't they, those colonialists got around didn't they :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Grace, they certainly did.
      In the grounds of the Christchurch Cathedral there are some sculptures of slaves with chains around their necks and inside there are rooms where they were held, I took photos but didn't want to post them, it was distressing imagining what those poor desolate souls had to endure.
      It is a lovely place though and Echo Beach hotel was divine x

      Delete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've always been intrigued by colonial architecture - where did the style come from? - why is it so different from anything at home? - why is it so un-military when all the early settlement must have been overseen by soldiers? No wonder Mr Mercury was such an exotic presence with such a background. Thanks for the virtual trip to somewhere that I'm unlikely to visit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's and interesting question. I think it's American in origin and the British adopted it, but not here because the style is more suited to hot and/or humid climates.

      Delete
  4. Beautiful photos! I didn't know that about Freddie Mercury either. I also love the buildings…amazing place!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello Chrissy, thank you for your comments.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...