It’s a mythical island, rich in history and traditions, a centuries-old crossroads of merchandise and distant cultures, a meeting point between the Indies, the Arabian Peninsula, Africa and Europe, the cradle of Swahili identity, as well as a terrestrial and marine paradise, lying between the idyllic transparencies of the Indian Ocean. Zanzibar, or rather the Zanzibar Archipelago, with its main island of Unguja and its capital Stone Town, is today one of the most sought-after destinations for international seaside tourism, while continuing to maintain its own discreet and traditionalist character.
An island that smells of ginger, vanilla and cloves, a land flooded with light, reflections and colours, from the emerald turquoise of the sea to the blinding white of the fine sand, from the green of the coconut palms and rice paddies to the burgundy of the earth, and all the iridescent gradation of underwater life and the coral reef. An island of wild beaches and old coral stone houses, of portals inlaid as if they were sculptures and huts made of earth and straw, of fishermen who set sail on dhows, boutres or jahazi, whatever the traditional wooden boats are called, and of women who cultivate sponges and seaweed in the constant flow of the tides. An island of traditions and Taarab music, a perfect cultural synthesis of the distant worlds that have met in Zanzibar over the centuries, but also an eldorado for international investment, which has been able to largely respect its face and identity, building some of the most qualitative resorts and hotels of the African continent, in a revisited traditional style that is perfectly integrated with the surrounding environment, barely perceptible among the vegetation of the gardens and palms, with their monumental wooden and thatched roofs, the straw umbrellas and the rope beds on the beach.
If the colourful seabed and the wonderful unspoilt beaches glistening with light and tides are the enchanting face of Zanzibar, Stone Town (UNESCO World Heritage Site) with its coral stone and inlaid wood houses is its deeper soul, and the small rural villages with their friendly inhabitants its distinctive character.
Unguja (improperly called Zanzibar, since it is the main island of the homonymous archipelago) has all the ingredients to enchant and bewitch, to deserve the mythical aura of a must-see destination for lovers of exotic destinations, among one of the last paradises on earth, but also avid for history, traditions, culture and unique atmospheres. The atmospheres of an island that has experienced a succession of dominations, strategic and commercial controls, a thousand-year journey of Indian and Arab merchants, Portuguese navigators and Omani sultanates, absorbing the best of each and rejecting the worst, shaping itself, its African character and its Swahili identity.
Among the narrow streets of Stone Town and its coral stone buildings, you’ll immediately feel the complex history of the island, which takes one back to distant lands. The houses, with their beautiful inlaid portals, wooden galleries and mashrabiyya, evoke Indian, Persian, Arab, Moorish and European influences, as does the ancient stone fort, which is clearly of Portuguese architectural influence, but was actually built in the 18th century by the Omani. Stone Town is waiting to be discovered, as you wander through the narrow streets of the centre, admiring the beautiful facades of the palaces, forgetting the passing of time as you observe the meticulous inlays on the doors and windows, real wooden sculptures, or as you visit the historical monuments, from Beit El-Ajaib, the 19th century residence of Sultan Barghash, to that of Sultan Said, Beit El-Sahel, the Hamamni Persian Baths, the public baths of 1871, to the ruins of Mahurubi Palace and Dunga, without forgetting one of the symbolic places of memory, the old Slave Market, used until the abolition of slavery in 1873, which was used to store dozens and dozens of slaves in dark cells measuring just a few square metres with no air vents, which only the rising tide cleaned of excrement; places of horror where thousands of people lost their lives. Soon after the abolition of this sad trade, the neo-Gothic Anglican church was built and opened in 1877.
If the east coast of Unguja, from north to south, offers an embarrassment of riches in terms of enchanting beaches and accommodation facilities, one place in particular has become the symbol of Zanzibar, the unmissable Rock Restaurant, a unique restaurant “clinging” to a rock in the middle of the sea to the south-east of the island, reachable on foot at low tide, a true corner of paradise famous throughout the world. Between dives, don’t miss an excursion to the Jozani Forest, with its red colobus monkeys, antelopes and butterflies, the last remaining virgin green area on Unguja.
