Zanzibar doors are the finely carved doors that are found around Stone Town in Zanzibar Island. They are over a century old, and they can be seen during tours around Stone Town. Stone Town is found on the western coast of Zanzibar Island and it is a historical town in Zanzibar.
When entering the different buildings around Stone town which is famous for its winding alleyways and architecture that shows the cultural diversity on the island with influence of the Arabs, Persians, British and Indians among others.
The carved doors of Zanzibar are said to have a deeper meaning including the measure of the original occupant’s social status as well as religion. Some of the doors are polished while others have door frames with cages full of rocks.
Over the years some of the doors became splintered and also cracked and some became warped overtime. The type of wood used to make the doors is mahogany or teak which is a tropical hardwood tree and this type of wood gives the doors a sense of strength and pride.
The types of doors in Stone town which are influenced by the Indian culture are also called the Gujarati doors and they are built in a way that they have small square shutters or panels embedded in the door and also brass studs which are used to stop elephants during the war from hitting the door. The Indian doors are simpler and have a thin central carved panel with carvings and these doors were used for bazaar shops. These Indian doors in Zanzibar also have folding panels.
Another type of door which is found in Zanzibar is the doors which are influenced by the Swahili culture. These doors are the oldest type of doors in Zanzibar and they can be recognized by the carved nature with twisting vines, flowers or other designs.
The Arabs also influenced the culture in Zanzibar and the type of doors that have an Arabic touch to them have characteristics such as carvings along the door frame and the beam and above the door frame the panel is decorated in a sequence of carvings. This tradition among the Arabs originated from countries around the Persian gulf and it was also practiced in Afghanistan and even in India around the 12th century.
The different decorations on the doors in Stone town also have meanings and some of the patterns on the doors are of fish, flowers and scales which show the professions of the original owners of the houses.
The fish symbolizes fertility and flowers like the lotus and rosette represent reproductive power and also the number of people in the family that once lived in the building was indicated by the rosette with long flowers.
The palm tree represents plenty and wealth is represented by frankincense the palm tree representing wealth. Some of the doors in Stone town also have small hatches which were used by the owners to allow quick access without having to open the massive teak doors.
Above the panels on the door, the frieze also contained the name of the owner of the house which could be carved in rosettes.
When visiting Zanzibar island during a tour around Stone town, you can take a guided tour around the alleyways and visit the Zanzibar doors and take photos and also learn more about the history of Zanzibar and its people.
You can also visit the different historical buildings around Stone town such as the House of wonders, the palace museum, the Old fort, the old slave market, the Persian baths and many others.
These tours around Stone town can also be done as group tours. You can visit the different sites around Stone town as a family or a couple on a romantic getaway and even a solo traveller since Zanzibar island is a safe place for travel.
The best time to visit Zanzibar is during the dry season from June, July, August, September and October and also in January and December. The dry season is also a high season with many tourists visiting the island.
Some tourists visit Zanzibar island during the rainy season which is also part of the low season when the number of tourists visiting sites around the island is low which makes it a good time to avoid crowds. The rains in Zanzibar are received around March, April and May and also in November.
A number of activities apart from tours around Stone town can be done when visiting Zanzibar island they include swimming, snorkeling, diving, kite surfing, dhow cruises, spice tours, safari blue experience, visiting Changuu island among others.
Visit Zanzibar and enjoy a tour around the historical town of Stone town and experience the way of life and culture of people on the island.
