Unguja

View to Stone Town, Zanzibar

View through the parapets to Stone Stone, Zanzibar.

Stone Town is the beating heart of Unguja, the principal island of the Zanzibar archipelago. It is a maze of coral ragstone, crumbling cement, mangrove timbers, and corrugated steel. Some 16,000 people call it home, although many more live in the surrounding area on the island.

Structures are a mashup of Swahili, Indian, Arab, and European styles.

I shot this view from the roof of our lodging, the Swahili house, a 19th c Indian merchantmen’s home. Note the crenellated parapets lining the top of the wall. While they look like a defensive feature, they are actually designed to give a little privacy to residents who uses the flat roof as living space.