The capital of the archipelago of Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean is Zanzibar City, which is located in Stone Town, the erstwhile capital of the Zanzibar sultanate. In Swahili, the stone Town in known as Mji Mkongwe, meaning the old town. The stone Town is the place where you will find museums of slave trade. This place was declared as UNESCO World Heritage site in circa 2000.

The stone Town is not very far from the airport, so we stopped on our way to our resort, while driving from the airport. It's located on the Western side of the archipelago and is hotter than the rest of the island.

The stone Town is of immense cultural significance. It was the centre of the Indian Ocean slave trade and if spice trade too. During the British protectorate, it was the centre of commerce. When Zanzibar was acquired by Tanganyika (erstwhile Tanzania) to form the United Republic of Tanzania, Zanzibar retained a semi autonomous state, with Stone Town as the capital.

Political history aside, this place is an epitome of Swahili culture; which is a blend of African, Arabic, Persian and Indian culture. This is very much apparent from the architecture and food habits there. There is a big Arya Samaj Mandir. You will find many food items resembling Indian food like Pilao (pulao) , faratha (Paratha) etc. It's important to respect the local culture there, so even if you are tempted to roam around in bikinis after coming out of the ocean on the streets, please don't.

The Stone Town is also the birthplace of the world famous singer Freddie Mercury. This British singer/ songwriter was born here, and then brought up in Bombay, India, where he created music and became world famous. His band was known as "Queens" which churned out chartbusters like " We will rock you " , "We are the champions " etc. His home has been converted into a museum and you can explore it.

There are a lot of jewelry shops selling Tanzanite, the blue coloured semi precious stone native to Tanzania. The beach is absolutely beautiful and there are a hell lot of properties: both on the beach as well as boutique ones in the narrow alleys of Stone Town, which takes you back to authentic East African culture. And there are uncountable souvenir shops and restaurants.

History lover or not, this place is a must visit when in Zanzibar.