Home › Cities › Zanzibar Town

Old photos of Zanzibar Town

6 photographs of Zanzibar Town, from 1900 to 1961 — each pinned to the exact place it was taken.

Have an old photo of Zanzibar Town? A family album, a postcard, a print from the attic. Pin it to the map and it becomes part of the record.
Add your photo

What the photos show

The 6 photographs of Zanzibar Town on PlaceWas span 2 decades, from 1900 to 1961. 6 of them were taken before 1980; the other 0 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.2 spots were photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.6 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 Town through time

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

EU: Afrikaresa, Zanzibar - harbour full of dhows (1961), Zanzibar Town — photos through time
EU: Afrikaresa, Zanzibar - harbour full of dhows (1961) 3 photos · 1961
EU: Afrikaresa, Zanzibar - market street (1961), Zanzibar Town — photos through time
EU: Afrikaresa, Zanzibar - market street (1961) 3 photos · 1900–1961

Stories from Zanzibar Town

What contributors wrote about these photographs.

EU: Mensen en militairen bij het paleis van de sultan van Zanzibar (1900), Zanzibar Town, 1900
EU: Mensen en militairen bij het paleis van de sultan van Zanzibar (1900) 1900 A crowd of onlookers and soldiers gathers outside the Sultan's Palace in Zanzibar City in this 1900 photograph, suggesting some public occasion at the seat of the island's ruler.
EU: Voorbijgangers in een straat te Zanzibar, Zanzibar Stores (1900), Zanzibar Town, 1900
EU: Voorbijgangers in een straat te Zanzibar, Zanzibar Stores (1900) 1900 Pedestrians pass the Zanzibar Stores trading premises in this 1900 street view of Zanzibar City, a scene reflecting the town's role as a trading port at the time.
EU: Afrikaresa, Zanzibar - dhows at harbourside warehouse (1961), Zanzibar Town, 1961
EU: Afrikaresa, Zanzibar - dhows at harbourside warehouse (1961) 1961 A cluster of dhows sits beside a harbourside warehouse in Zanzibar Town in this 1961 photograph, reflecting the port's role in coastal trade, with warehouses along the waterfront once used to store goods moving through…
EU: Afrikaresa, Zanzibar - harbour full of dhows (1961), Zanzibar Town, 1961
EU: Afrikaresa, Zanzibar - harbour full of dhows (1961) 1961 Zanzibar Town's harbour is shown crowded with dhows in this 1961 photograph, a reminder of the port's centuries-old maritime commerce, when the island was a major centre for the East African trade in spices, ivory, and…
EU: Afrikaresa, Zanzibar - boats beached at low tide (1961), Zanzibar Town, 1961
EU: Afrikaresa, Zanzibar - boats beached at low tide (1961) 1961 Boats sit beached at low tide in this 1961 photograph of Zanzibar Town, a scene shaped by the island's tidal coastline, where craft were commonly left ashore between fishing or trading trips.
EU: Afrikaresa, Zanzibar - market street (1961), Zanzibar Town, 1961
EU: Afrikaresa, Zanzibar - market street (1961) 1961 A market street in Zanzibar Town, photographed in 1961; the island's markets have long traded in spices such as cloves, which shaped the local economy for generations.
1900s · 2 photos
1960s · 4 photos