CULTURAL GETAWAY: ZANZIBAR STONE TOWN

The adage that a traveler is never lost, only discovering new places, might not be especially comforting were you to take a critical wrong turn deep in the Congolese rainforest. But it’s a sensible guiding philosophy in the convoluted depths of stone town, the atmospheric enclave of traditional Swahili architecture that forms the historic and cultural heart of Zanzibar Island. Run through by a sprawling knot of winding alleys, most too narrow to carry any traffic wider than a donkey cart.

Stone Town is the sort of urban labyrinth where you could spend an hour walking aimlessly in contorted polygons, only to emerge a hundred metres or so from where you originally entered. The Island of Zanzibar, situated off Tanzania, is widely recognized as a beach idyll of note. But it is given a more singular dimension by its fascinating historical pedigree.

Zanzibar emerged as a centre of Swahili maritime trade perhaps 1000 years ago, and peaked in significance in the 19^thcentury as the capital of the Sultanate of Oman. This historical legacy is tangible all over the island, from the lavish Persian baths that lie disused among the clove plantations of the interior, to the crumbling beachfront palaces that once accommodated wealthy sultanas.

But the island’s greatest concentration of historic Zanzibar buildings lies in the old Stone Town. These range from the Omani Fort, constructed in 1698 around the walls of a 16^th century Portuguese church, to a massive Anglican Cathedral built in the 1870’s over the site of the once notorious slave market, as well as various waterfront palaces and the houses where Livingstone and Stanley resided during their Zanzibari sojourns. Far more moving and absorbing than any individual building, however, is the distinct sense of palace and antiquity that pervades Stone Town’s timeworn alleys-qualities almost as tangible as the aromatic cocktail of spiced coffee, Swahili home cooking and the market stalls piled high with cloves that wafts through the sticky tropical air. Zanzibar is ideally suited for combining animals viewing, scuba diving, snorkelling, spice plantations tour, historical palaces tour, a visit to the market and relaxing at the beach.