Stone Town is the capital city of Zanzibar and it’s a great place to visit to understand the island’s culture and history better.

Located on the south western coast this is where the ferries arrive from the mainland and it also has an airport close by.

The city is also a UNESCO world heritage site and there is much to see here.

The old town was is full of small passageways with shops and produce sellers at every point.

Much of the old architecture is fairly well preserved and works are ongoing to restore the fort and other splendid buildings. Many were built using coral stone.

It’s a great place for exploring and it doesn’t take long to get a sense of direction amongst the maze of walkways.

Look closer and you can see the Arabic and Indian influence in the doorways and windows.

It’s a melting pot of cultures, with prior Portuguese, Omani and British oversight.

Stone Town is predominantly Muslim, most women have head scarves or Burkas, men mostly with long robes. If you stay over you will hear the evening and early morning call to prayers from the mosques dotted around town.

The late great Freddie Mercury was born here and you can even visit his place of birth, however we weren’t able to due to a power cut the afternoon we passed by.

We took a walk around the Darajani Market, where I think you can buy pretty much anything you might ever need.

The store holder below struggles with the afternoon heat, I know how he feels!

The colours of the clothing stalls are so vibrant.

There are a couple of churches in the town too, squeezed in between the labyrinth of streets.

The island has a rich and complex history and this includes a significant role in the East African Slave Trade.

There is a very good, if harrowing, museum in the town set next to a church.

The sculpture outside resonates with the horrors of this barbarous trade in human life.

It is said that the chains on these statues are real items from this dark past.

In the museum you can see two basement rooms where slaves were kept, bound in iron chains, prior to sale or further transport.

There are actually 20 of these chambers but only two can be viewed.

Women and children were separated from the men, with large numbers squeezed into these tiny, airless and hot dungeons.

You can’t help be horrified by what you witness here.

In the evening time you must visit the small but vibrant Forodhani Gardens Night Market.

It’s smaller than I had thought but those chicken shawarma are to die for.

We started with one and ended up eating three of these wonders, sat on the harbour walls.

You can buy sugar cane drinks here too, made fresh in front of you.

As the sun starts to set head to one of the beach bars nearby to witness the local ‘flippers’ doing acrobatics whilst you sip on an icy cold Serengeti beer.

The young men doing this are very skilled and it’s a delight to watch their energy from my beach side table!

The beaches of Zanzibar are great but Stone Town is a real cultural delight and a must see experience.

Next we fly back to the mainland for a big safari, Tanzania has much to offer.