The tour began with the infamous Zanzibar doors. The finely carved mahogany or teak doors of Zanzibar in Stone Town. There are an estimated 560 doors around Zanzibar city (the majority in Stone Town), and most of them are over a century old. (Oct. 14, 2024)

The original Zanzibar doors owe their distinctive brass studs to India created as a defence against elephants. Needless to say, this distinctive feature of Stone Town’s doors has always been purely decorative. (Oct. 14, 2024)

The finely carved mahogany or teak doors of Zanzibar in Stone Town. (Oct. 14, 2024)

The finely carved mahogany or teak doors of Zanzibar in Stone Town. The doors are known for their variety of styles, reflecting the island’s history, the owners wealth and sometimes their trade of slaves and spices. (Oct. 14, 2024)

The shops downstairs and homes upstairs in a souvenir shopping area in Zanzibar City’s Stone Town. (Oct. 14, 2024)

A beautifully carved door in Zanzibar’s Stone Town. (Oct. 14, 2024)

Walking through the alleyways of Stone Town. (Oct. 14, 2024)

The carved wood and architecture in Stone Town. (Oct. 14, 2024)

The Dhow Palace Hotel in Zanzibar’s Stone Town was originally the home of a rich merchant, Sheikh bin Mujbia. His descendants kept the building for more than three centuries before it was sold. At the bottom left hand corner of the frame is a carved pineapple, which means it was the home of a plantation owner.

Dhow building itself became the center of attention back in 1993 when it was transformed from a family mansion to this elegant hotel. (Oct. 14, 2024)

The open-air interior courtyard, of the Dhow Palace Hotel in Zanzibar’s Stone Town with its pool side restaurant. (Oct. 14, 2024)

The rooftop views from the Dhow Palace Hotel restaurant in Zanzibar’s Stone Town. (Oct. 14, 2024)

Art work at the Dhow Palace Hotel in Zanzibar’s Stone Town. (Oct. 14, 2024)

Heading down the beautiful staircase at the Dhow Palace Hotel in Zanzibar’s Stone Town to our next site. (Oct. 14, 2024)

The former home of Tippu Tip in Stone Town, which we saw yesterday on our Stone Town walking tour, has been turned into a block of flats now occupied by several families. (Oct. 14, 2024)

The exterior of what use to be Tippu Tip’s home in Stone Town. (Oct. 14, 2024)

The tomb of Muhammed el Murjebi called Tippu Tip, the slave trader and plantation owner, in Stone Town, Zanzibar. It was once covered in overgrown vegetation, but all that has been cleared away. It’s difficult to believe but this man was considered a hero. (Oct. 14, 2024)

The tomb of Muhammed el Murjebi called Tippu Tip, the slave trader and plantation owner, in Stone Town, Zanzibar. It was once covered in overgrown vegetation, but all that has been cleared away. It’s difficult to believe but this man was considered a hero. (Oct. 14, 2024)