Stone Town, Zanzibar: Heritage at a Crossroads

Tanzania’s mainland and islands have played a pivotal role in the trade between Africa, Europe, and the East for over a millennia. Trading empires built on slaves, gold, and ivory have risen and fallen over the ages. Fortune seekers, traders, captives, and rulers have brought with them new customs and lifestyles to this East African Coast, blending with the local traditions and culture. 

For many of these inland communities, maritime heritage has often been associated negatively with the history of colonialism and thus neglected. Tanzania’s coastal areas contain a unique representation of a melting pot of cultures; influences from Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Far East. They represent centuries of global contact.