Behind the wooden door: Stone Town

Clémence
Clémence
Sep 7, 2018 · 3 min read
Welcome to the spice island, Zanzibar (Stone Town — Sept 2014)

Have you ever dreamt of going back in time ?

Getting there was quite a journey. Missed my plane, took the next one but my hotel forgot I was coming over. I didn’t like Stone Town in the first place. I guess I was only paying attention to its first appearance, dirty streets, neglected buildings and electrical wires hanging all over the place.

Then I started talking to the people there as Swahili is always fun to practice:

‘Jambo’, I said. (Hi)

‘Mambo’ , they replied. (Hey, how are things?)

‘Poa’ , I told them. (Cool)

‘Habari?’ They asked me. (How are you?)

‘Nzuri, asante’, I answered. (Good, thanks)

This deep kind of conversation would most likely finish with ‘Hakuna Matata’, which they use in real life. I was so curious about all the carved wooden doors in the old town that I asked the people what they represented. And it became interesting.


Now let’s get behind that door (okay, it’s a different one from the picture above, but they have like 500 of them)

There’s no need to knock (Stone Town — Sept 2014)

Traditional Zanzibari architecture is expressed by its carved doors, which add some character to the city, with a cultural mix of influences from India, Europe, Arabia and Africa. The locals will tell you the ornaments stand for social status and wealth. Some will tell say to you that the decoration is only for aesthetic purposes. Some others will mention that the brass studs -or spikes - were used by Indian people to prevent elephants from getting through gates during times of war. Once you’ve been told all of this, you just want to explore the historic quarter, take a look at all the different doors and figure out their origins.

If it doesn’t sound like fun, let me tell you it was

Getting lost in the labyrinth of narrow streets was the best thing to do to experience local life. From the sight of men playing bao in alleys, to that of women selling spices at bustling bazaars, I was mesmerized by the unique atmosphere on this part of the island.

I was really lucky to stay at Dhow Palace, which was built in the 16th century, displaying beautiful items at every corner and close attention to details.

Mirror reflection (Stone Town, — Sept 2014)
Sick of doors? Look at windows (Stone Town — Sept 2014)

You will either love Stone Town or hate it. It’s that simple. Just deep dive into the mystery of the island, and if you’re not a city person, you may go to the beach.

I got to spend one week at Kendwa’s beach, staying in a cosy bungalow. It always feels nice getting away from the liveliness of the capital. It’s relaxing to read in front of the ocean, it’s fun to swim in a turquoise water, it’s cool to practice yoga while watching the sunset (at Flame Tree Cottage, Nungwi, in case you’re wondering). And then you will think that it gets boring doing this everyday, so it means you’re ready to go back to your daily routine at home and plan your next vacation :-)

Shades of blue and stormy sky (Kendwa Beach — Sept 2014)
Clémence

Written by

Clémence

entrepreneur | food lover | globe trotter

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