Town Of Zanzibar through time

Stone Town 1890–2017 16 photos of this spot

16 photographs taken at the same spot in Stone Town, spanning 1890–2017 — 5 of them from before 1980. Line them up and watch the place change.

A panoramic view of Zanzibar's harbor is captured in this 1890 photograph, showing the waterfront of Stone Town, then the capital of the Sultanate of Zanzibar.

EU: Panorama van de haven van Zanzibar (1890) 1890 A panoramic view of Zanzibar's harbor is captured in this 1890 photograph, showing the waterfront of Stone Town, then the capital of the Sultanate of Zanzibar.

EU: Gezicht op een stad op Zanzibar (1890) 1890 This 1890 photograph shows a townscape on Zanzibar, likely within Stone Town, the historic trading quarter that served as the seat of the Sultanate of Zanzibar.

EU: Exterieur van het paleis van de sultan van Zanzibar (1890) 1890 The exterior of the Sultan's palace in Zanzibar is shown in this 1890 photograph of Stone Town, then the seat of the Sultanate of Zanzibar and a center of trade along the East African coast.

EU: Cowshed, Zanzibar, Africa. Photograph, 1905/1915. (1905) 1905 A cowshed in Zanzibar, photographed sometime between 1905 and 1915, a period when the islands were a British protectorate and a major center of the East African clove trade.

EU: Afrikaresa, Zanzibar (1961) 1961 This 1961 photograph was taken in Zanzibar during a documented journey along the East African coast, part of a wider set of images recording the island and its historic Stone Town in the early 1960s.

Zanzibar, Tanzania 2011 A view of Zanzibar, Tanzania, photographed in 2011. The island's Stone Town, with its narrow streets and coral-stone buildings, reflects centuries of trade across the Indian Ocean.

Streets of Stone Town 2012 Narrow streets in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania. The old town's alleys are lined with coral-stone buildings and elaborately carved wooden doors, a legacy of the district's history as a wealthy Swahili and Arab trading settlement. Photographed in 2012.

Town Of Zanzibar 2012 A view over Zanzibar City, Tanzania, taken in 2012. The city's old quarter, Stone Town, sits on a peninsula on the western coast of Zanzibar Island and served for centuries as a key port on Indian Ocean trade routes.

Streets of Stone Town 2012 A narrow street in Stone Town, Zanzibar City, Tanzania, photographed in 2012. The old town's lanes were laid out well before the era of motor vehicles and remain among the best-preserved historic streetscapes on the East African coast.

Late Night, Stone Town 2012 This 2012 nighttime photograph captures a quiet street in Stone Town, Zanzibar, whose mix of Swahili, Arab, Persian, and European influences earned it UNESCO World Heritage status.

Stone Town, Zanzibar 2012 A street in Stone Town, Zanzibar, the old quarter whose mix of Swahili, Arab, and European architecture earned it UNESCO World Heritage status.

Orange Light, Zanzibar 2012 Evening light over Zanzibar, photographed in 2012.

Stone Town, Zanzibar 2013 A street in Stone Town, Zanzibar, photographed in 2013, within the old quarter recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its distinctive Swahili coastal architecture.

Sunset, Zanzibar 2013 The sun sets over Zanzibar's Stone Town, Tanzania, a UNESCO World Heritage site on the Indian Ocean known for centuries of Swahili, Arab, and European trading influence. This photograph was taken in 2013.

Abeid Amani Karume International Airport 2013 Abeid Amani Karume International Airport in Zanzibar, Tanzania, photographed in 2013. Named after Zanzibar's first president, the airport is the main air gateway to the island and its Stone Town heritage sites.

Streets of Stone town, Zanzibar 2017 A street scene in Stone Town, Zanzibar, from 2017, showing the narrow coral-stone lanes characteristic of the UNESCO-listed old town.