People have been living on the island for over 20,000 years, but Stone Town is the central point of Zanzibar. Because of its location off the coast and its sheltered harbor, Stone Town turned from a fishing village into a trading center. The island was also governed by many colonial rulers, from Portugal to Oman to Great Britain, until it became independent in 1963.

As a trading center, the island has plenty of cultural influences from colonizers and traders from India and Arab countries. Slavery also affected the island as it was used as a port to send slaves abroad while hundreds of slaves also worked on plantations on the island.

It’s a mix of African, Arabic, and colonial styles all packed into one city. Because of all the unique influences, Stone Town was actually declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000!