Attractions
Old Portuguese Arch
Address: Vuga Rd, Zanzibar, Tanzania .Over 500 years ago, Portuguese sailors became the first Europeans to reach Zanzibar. After the voyage of Vasco da Gama along the East African coast in 1498, Portugal established control over many trading ports in the Indian Ocean, including Zanzibar.
For nearly two centuries, the Portuguese influenced trade in the region, using Zanzibar as an important stop for ships sailing between Europe, Africa, India, and Asia. However, their control was often limited, and local Swahili communities continued to play a major role in commerce and daily life.
One reminder of this period is the Portuguese Arch in Stone Town. Located in a narrow street near Vuga, the arch is believed to date from the Portuguese era and is one of the few surviving architectural traces of their presence in Zanzibar. While much of Stone Town's architecture reflects later Omani, Indian, and Swahili influences, the arch offers a glimpse into a chapter of Zanzibar's long and diverse history.
In 1698, the Omani Arabs defeated the Portuguese and took control of Zanzibar, beginning a new era that would shape the Stone Town we see today.
Today, the Portuguese Arch stands quietly among the winding streets of Stone Town, reminding visitors of the many cultures and peoples who helped create Zanzibar's unique heritage.
Darajani
Address: Darajani, Zanzibar, Tanzania .Darajani: The Bridge Between Stone Town and Ng'ambo
On one side was Stone Town, the political, commercial, and cultural center of the Sultanate. Its residents included Arab, Indian, Swahili, and later European merchants and officials. The area was characterized by coral-stone buildings, narrow alleys, grand merchant houses, mosques, and palaces. It was a small peninsula, separated by the other part of Zanzibar Island by a tidal creek called Pwani Ndogo ("Small Beach").
On the other side was Ng'ambo, which literally means "the Other Side." Historically, Ng'ambo was home to the majority African population, many of whom worked in Stone Town as laborers, craftsmen, port workers, and servants. Houses were generally simpler, often built from mud, poles, and thatch rather than coral stone. The physical separation by the creek also reflected social and economic differences between the two communities.
At the end of 19th century the Sultan built a bridge to connect Ng’ambo to the Stone Town and the surrounding area became known as Darajani, meaning "at the bridge" in Swahili. The bridge connected the historic town with the communities and farmland beyond. Traders, laborers, fishermen, and merchants crossed it daily, carrying goods to the Stone Town. The bridge was more than a piece of infrastructure. It connected two very different parts of Zanzibar City.
By the early 20th century, the area around Darajani had become the commercial heart of Zanzibar. Later,, the creek was filled in and replaced by roads and public spaces. The bridge disappeared, but its memory survives in the name Darajani Market, which remains Zanzibar's main market today.
Today, visitors can walk from Stone Town into Ng'ambo in only a few minutes without realizing that water once separated them. Yet understanding the history of Darajani Bridge helps explain how Zanzibar developed as a city of many cultures, communities, and social traditions.
Fun fact: Recent roadworks in the Darajani area reportedly revealed parts of the original bridge structure buried beneath modern streets, offering a rare glimpse into Zanzibar's past.
