Stone Town

Mjini Magharibi Region, Tanzania

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Heritage registerUNESCO World Heritage↗

Stone Town, the historic old quarter of Zanzibar City on the western coast of Unguja island in Tanzania, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site designated in 2000 for its architectural and cultural significance. Once the capital of the Sultanate of Zanzibar and a thriving 19th-century hub of the spice trade and Indian Ocean slave trade, the town's surviving structures—predominantly dating to that era—embody a distinctive fusion of Arab, Persian, Indian, and European influences that characterize Swahili culture. Its layered architectural heritage reflects centuries of maritime commerce and cultural exchange across the Indian Ocean. Stone Town retained its status as Zanzibar's principal settlement through the British protectorate period and continues as the local government seat following Tanzania's formation, now anchoring the region's economy through heritage tourism.