Zanzibar Urban/West (Stone Town)

Stone Town — the historic heart of Zanzibar City and a UNESCO World Heritage Site — is a labyrinthine medieval city of coral-stone buildings, carved wooden doors studded with brass, Persian baths, and narrow streets that have barely changed in 200 years. Built on the wealth of the Indian Ocean spice trade and, regrettably, the slave trade, Stone Town absorbs Arab, Persian, Indian, and Swahili architectural DNA into every façade. Freddie Mercury, the legendary Queen frontman, was born in Zanzibar and his birthplace on Kenyatta Road has become a pilgrimage site. The Palace Museum, the Old Fort (Ngome Kongwe), and the Slave Market Memorial at the Cathedral Church of Christ — built on the site of the last East African slave market — offer profound historical depth for every visitor.