Tanzania · Zanzibar Urban/West Region · Zanzibar
Stone Town, Zanzibar — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Stone Town, or Mji Mkongwe, is the old quarter of Zanzibar City on Unguja, on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2000.
About Stone Town
Where to stay in Stone Town
Not every neighbourhood fits every trip — here's what each one is good for.
A bed inside Stone Town puts the Old Fort of Zanzibar and the House of Wonders at the end of the lane, while Ng'ambo, the newer half of Zanzibar City, spreads its rooms further back from the water. That is the whole trade-off. Walking distance to the Palace Museum and the Old Dispensary costs space; Ng'ambo returns the space and takes the walk away.
About Stone Town
What are the main landmarks in Stone Town?
The Old Fort of Zanzibar and the House of Wonders anchor the list, and the Palace Museum, once the seat of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, stands among the 19th-century stone fronts of Mji Mkongwe. Tippu Tip's House sits inland. The Old Dispensary shows the Indian strand of an architecture that also draws on Moorish, Arab, Persian and European work, and the Aga Khan Jamat Khanna Mosque and the Princess Salme Museum stand on the same list.
What is the history of Stone Town?
Spice and the Indian Ocean slave trade ran through this port in the 19th century, when the town served as capital of the Sultanate of Zanzibar and drew Moorish, Arab, Persian, Indian and European builders to its lanes. British protectorate rule followed. Zanzibar later joined Tanganyika to form the United Republic of Tanzania, keeping a semi-autonomous status, with Stone Town as the seat of its local government.
The UNESCO World Heritage List took it in 2000.
Where is Stone Town?
Stone Town holds the western coast of Unguja, main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago, and Ng'ambo spreads inland behind it.
Good for
Updated September 2026