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It is easy to spend many idle hours in old Stone Town just wandering through the maze of narrow streets and alleyways. It is a fascinating place to visit with its multitude of overhanging balconies. Stone Town was originally built on a peninsula which has probably been inhabited since the first people arrived in Zanzibar. Ras Shangani, at the western tip of the peninsula has been the site of a fishing village for several centuries.
In the 16th ccentury, Portuguese navigators built a church and trading station on the peninsula as it had a good harbour and was easy to defend. When the Omani Arabs began to settle on the island in 18th century, they built a fort on the site of the church, and today's Stone Town grew up around the fort. Many of the houses that can be seen today were built in the 19th century when Zanzibar was one of the most important trading centres in the Indian Ocean. The coral rock was easy to quarry for construction, resulting in many houses being built on a grand scale with several storeys. Up to that time most houses had been built from thatch and mangrove poles. Today, nearly all of the old houses are still inhabited, but are in a bad state of repair as a result from the rock ersoion.
Since the end of the 1980s and through the 1990s, the Zanzibar Government has renovated several buildings with the assistance of the United Nations. Hopefully this will continue and a Development Authority has been formed to coordinate this work. During the 19th century many of the people living in Stone Town were wealthy Arabs and Indians. Consequently, the houses were built in two main styles : the Arab style, with plain outer walls and a large front door, leading to an inner courtyard; and the Indian style, with a more open facade and large balconies decorated with ornate railings and balustrades designed to catch the sea breezes. Many of the buildings have doors with elaborately carved frames and panels, decorated with brass studs and heavy locks. The size of the door and the intricacies of the decoration were a sign of wealth and status. The door has become a well-recognised symbol of the town and the island's history.
When walking around the narrow streets, you should remember that Stone Town is very much a real community, where people live and work, not a museum piece designed for tourists. You should show respect in your dress and manner and should not enter any private house or courtyrad unless invited to do so. Taking photos of buildings is generally acceptable, but you should ask permission before taking photos of people.
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