This is the report of two excursions to the historical Stonetown. On Friday, August 12th , we were not able to blog because we spend the evening all together in the Jazz Café Livingstone in Stonetown . Four days after this excess I try to reconstruct the tour of our guide Rahma. During this tour, the focus was on the slave trade in and out of Zanzibar. The story sends a cold shiver down the spine ... even here . Hilde could not get enough of the city and dragged me along to the palaces of the sultans. Maybe not a beautiful piece of history but the stories about the love life of Sultana Selme were quite heartwarming. |
August 12th, Stonetown Z7 and Rahma
Dr. Livingstone, to whom Stonetown was a place to relax during his adventures in Africa, urged the British government to abolish the slave trade. Bishop Steere was his fellow-thinker. Symbolically, he built the Angelican Cathedral in Stonetown on the market for slaves. Where currently the altar stands, the slaves were sold by auction. They were beaten, who wept was not worth a penny. The red marble of the altar symbolizes the blood of slaves.
Here you can also find the reconstructed slave cellars. These are awfully small rooms where slaves were crammed with just enough food to survive so they would stay alive just until they were sold.
Watch the scaffolding, that is built with mangrove wood and rope.
Dr. Livingstone, to whom Stonetown was a place to relax during his adventures in Africa, urged the British government to abolish the slave trade. Bishop Steere was his fellow-thinker. Symbolically, he built the Angelican Cathedral in Stonetown on the market for slaves. Where currently the altar stands, the slaves were sold by auction. They were beaten, who wept was not worth a penny. The red marble of the altar symbolizes the blood of slaves.
Here you can also find the reconstructed slave cellars. These are awfully small rooms where slaves were crammed with just enough food to survive so they would stay alive just until they were sold.
Watch the scaffolding, that is built with mangrove wood and rope.
Since 1997, there is a monument dedicated to the slaves, just in front of the church. The chains are supposed to be original.
You can not visit an African city without going to the market. In Stonetown this the Darajani market. Fish, meat, chicken, vegetables, herbs ... whatever you want. The smell is for free.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsvZcXUHexQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsvZcXUHexQ
August 15th, past glory along Mizingani Road
We were dropped at the mint green Old Dispensary, once the home of a wealthy Indian merchant. He had it built in 1890 and was already annoyed by it after nine years. He donated the house in order to use it as a hospital.
We were dropped at the mint green Old Dispensary, once the home of a wealthy Indian merchant. He had it built in 1890 and was already annoyed by it after nine years. He donated the house in order to use it as a hospital.
We walked along the Big Tree, a 100 year old tree that was once used as a landmark by ships who entered the harbor.
We also visited The Old Custom House, another jewel of the Arab culture in Zanzibar. Too bad there is not enough money for restorations.
In the courtyard is a small art gallery, especially with paintings. An artist was working there and used a beautiful range of shades.
We also visited The Old Custom House, another jewel of the Arab culture in Zanzibar. Too bad there is not enough money for restorations.
In the courtyard is a small art gallery, especially with paintings. An artist was working there and used a beautiful range of shades.
Since 1994, the Palace Museum is open to the public. You can learn the history and the daily life of the sultans of Zanzibar. There is still a lot of furniture from previous centuries. The first sultan, Said, had it buit in 1827. The last sultan, Jamshid, left during the Zanzibar revolution in 1964.
Our guide was great, he especially overwhelmed us with his knowledge of dates and made sure we will NEVER forget some of them.
Our guide was great, he especially overwhelmed us with his knowledge of dates and made sure we will NEVER forget some of them.
From the balcony of the Palace Museum you can see the ruins of the oldest palace of the sultans of Zanzibar, the Beit el-Mtoni Palace, which we also visited. The last picture is the toilet of the seventy-five (75!) concubines of the first Sultan Said. One of the best-known descendant of Sultan Said is Princess Salme, she is the daughter of a Russian slave. We find that indeed she looks a bit like Poetin. She was born in the Mtoni Palace. Tomorrow more about the soap starring Salme.