Sunday, August 4, 2019

Stone Town - Zanzibar

Both these cards are from the Stone Town, the older part of Zanzibar City in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Stone Town is located on the western coast of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago. 
The cards were sent by Jason and Pavel. 

Photographed by © Javed Jafferji
Former capital of the Zanzibar Sultanate, and flourishing centre of the spice trade as well as the slave trade in the 19th century, it retained its importance as the main city of Zanzibar during the period of the British protectorate. When Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined each other to form the United Republic of Tanzania, Zanzibar kept a semi-autonomous status, with Stone Town as its local government seat.
Stone Town is a city of prominent historical and artistic importance in East Africa. Its architecture, mostly dating back to the 19th century, reflects the diverse influences underlying the Swahili culture, giving a unique mixture of Arab, Persian, Indian and European elements. For this reason, the town was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
Due to its heritage, Stone Town is also a major visitor attraction in Tanzania, and a large part of its economy depends on tourism-related activities. - in: wikipedia

The Ijamaa mosque is one of the oldest in the old quarters of Zanzibar.
Known in Kiswahili as Msikiti Ya Ijumaa Mizingani, it was originally built by Sunni immigrants from Faza in 1831.

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