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Old photos of Zanzibar City

133 photographs of Zanzibar City, from 1880 to 2025 — each pinned to the exact place it was taken.

Have an old photo of Zanzibar City? A family album, a postcard, a print from the attic. Pin it to the map and it becomes part of the record.
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What the photos show

The 133 photographs of Zanzibar City on PlaceWas span 9 decades, from 1880 to 2025. 52 of them were taken before 1980; the other 81 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.21 spots were photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.132 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.

Pick a decade to filter the photos below and the map above. Open full map ↗

Places in Zanzibar City through time

Spots photographed more than once — compare the same place across the years.

EU: Panorama of the harbour of Zanzibar (1910), Zanzibar City — photos through time
EU: Panorama of the harbour of Zanzibar (1910) 23 photos · 1880–1961
EU: Gezicht op een stad op Zanzibar (c.1880-1920), Zanzibar City — photos through time
EU: Gezicht op een stad op Zanzibar (c.1880-1920) 12 photos · 1900–1961
EU: Quartel em Zanzibar (1901), Zanzibar City — photos through time
EU: Quartel em Zanzibar (1901) 7 photos · 1900–1934
Prison island, Zanzibar City — photos through time
Prison island 7 photos · 2008
Street Stonetown 23, Zanzibar City — photos through time
Street Stonetown 23 7 photos · 2022
EU: Afrikaresa, Zanzibar - (1961), Zanzibar City — photos through time
EU: Afrikaresa, Zanzibar - (1961) 6 photos · 1961
Street Stonetown 25, Zanzibar City — photos through time
Street Stonetown 25 6 photos · 2022
Pink ladies, Zanzibar City — photos through time
Pink ladies 5 photos · 2012–2023
Door in Mjini, Zanzibar, Zanzibar City — photos through time
Door in Mjini, Zanzibar 5 photos · 2022–2023
TEST SANITY CHECK UNIQUE TITLE zzz, Zanzibar City — photos through time
TEST SANITY CHECK UNIQUE TITLE zzz 5 photos · 2012–2022
Zanzibar 2012 06, Zanzibar City — photos through time
Zanzibar 2012 06 5 photos · 2012
EU: Zanzibar harbour with dhows and dock workers (1933), Zanzibar City — photos through time
EU: Zanzibar harbour with dhows and dock workers (1933) 4 photos · 1901–1961
Anglican Christ Church in Zanzibar, Zanzibar City — photos through time
Anglican Christ Church in Zanzibar 4 photos · 2009–2022
Stone Town 2022 246, Zanzibar City — photos through time
Stone Town 2022 246 4 photos · 2022
Zanzibar 2012 06, Zanzibar City — photos through time
Zanzibar 2012 06 4 photos · 2012
Stone Town 2022 177, Zanzibar City — photos through time
Stone Town 2022 177 3 photos · 2022
Buidling in Mkunazini, Mjini, Zanzibar, Zanzibar City — photos through time
Buidling in Mkunazini, Mjini, Zanzibar 3 photos · 2022–2023
Architectural details Stonetown 48, Zanzibar City — photos through time
Architectural details Stonetown 48 2 photos · 2022
Stone Town 2022 073, Zanzibar City — photos through time
Stone Town 2022 073 2 photos · 2022
Stone Town Spice Market, Zanzibar City — photos through time
Stone Town Spice Market 2 photos · 2018–2023
Street Stonetown 72, Zanzibar City — photos through time
Street Stonetown 72 2 photos · 2022

Stories from Zanzibar City

What contributors wrote about these photographs.

Stone Town 2022 261, Zanzibar City, 2022
Stone Town 2022 261 2022 A narrow lane in Stone Town, the historic quarter of Zanzibar City, photographed in 2022. Stone Town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, recognized for its fusion of Swahili, Arab, Persian, Indian, and…
Street Stonetown 41, Zanzibar City, 2022
Street Stonetown 41 2022 This alleyway winds through Stone Town, the old Swahili trading quarter of Zanzibar City. Stone Town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, recognized for its fusion of Swahili, Arab, Persian, Indian, and…
Stone Town 2022 219, Zanzibar City, 2022
Stone Town 2022 219 2022 A narrow lane in Stone Town, the historic quarter of Zanzibar City, photographed in 2022. Stone Town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, recognized for its fusion of Swahili, Arab, Persian, Indian, and…
Street Stonetown 37, Zanzibar City, 2022
Street Stonetown 37 2022 This alleyway winds through Stone Town, the old Swahili trading quarter of Zanzibar City. Stone Town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, recognized for its fusion of Swahili, Arab, Persian, Indian, and…
Stone Town 2022 246, Zanzibar City, 2022
Stone Town 2022 246 2022 A narrow lane in Stone Town, the historic quarter of Zanzibar City, photographed in 2022. Stone Town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, recognized for its fusion of Swahili, Arab, Persian, Indian, and…
Street Stonetown 38, Zanzibar City, 2022
Street Stonetown 38 2022 This alleyway winds through Stone Town, the old Swahili trading quarter of Zanzibar City. Stone Town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, recognized for its fusion of Swahili, Arab, Persian, Indian, and…
Architectural details Stonetown 108, Zanzibar City, 2022
Architectural details Stonetown 108 2022 This 2022 photograph focuses on architectural detail in Stone Town, the historic quarter of Zanzibar City. Stone Town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, recognized for its fusion of Swahili, Arab, Persian…
Street Stonetown 24, Zanzibar City, 2022
Street Stonetown 24 2022 A narrow lane in Stone Town, the historic quarter of Zanzibar City, photographed in 2022. The old town grew as a major trading post on the Indian Ocean spice and ivory routes under the 19th-century Sultanate of Zanzibar…
1880s · 2 photos
1890s · 2 photos
1900s · 13 photos
1910s · 6 photos
1930s · 4 photos
1960s · 25 photos
2000s · 9 photos
2010s · 23 photos · showing 12, all 23 on the map ↗
2020s · 49 photos · showing 12, all 49 on the map ↗