Palace sights in Zanzibar (Unguja)
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
Mtoni Palace Ruins
The ruins of Mtoni Palace, built by Sultan Seyyid Said as his residence in the early 19th century, are located just northeast of Maruhubi Palace. In its heyday, the palace was a beautiful building with a balconied exterior, a large garden courtyard complete with peacocks and gazelles, an observation turret and a mosque. By the mid-1880s the palace had been abandoned, and during WWI parts of the compound were used as a supplies storehouse.
Today nothing remains of Mtoni's grandeur other than a few walls, although you can get an idea of how it must have looked once by reading Emily Said-Reute's Memoirs of an Arabian Princess. To get here, continue north on the main road pas…
reviewed
-
Maruhubi Palace Ruins
The once-imposing Maruhubi Palace Ruins was built by Sultan Barghash in 1882 to house his large harem. In 1899 it was almost totally destroyed by fire, although the remaining ruins - primarily columns that once supported an upper terrace, an overhead aqueduct and small reservoirs covered with water lilies - hint at its previous scale. The ruins are just west of the Bububu road and signposted.
reviewed
