The original owners of the grand Arab houses in Zanzibar’s Stone Town competed with each other over the extravagance of their dwellings. This former glory is still evident in the brass-studded, carved, wooden doors that adorn many of the homes along the narrow streets and alleyways that make up the Old City. There are more than 500 different examples of this handiwork – many crafted from exotic woods such as teak – along with a myriad of colorfully painted window and shutters, making any walk through these labyrinthine passageways a journey of architectural discovery. Below are just a few of the doors, windows, shutters, and arches I found on my daily walks:

Doors of Stone Town

Doors of Stone Town

Doors of Stone Town

Even these old shutters are interesting

Doors of Stone Town

Doors of Stone Town

Doors of Stone Town

Funky boarded windows in crumblng adobe

Arabic influenced architectural details

Doors of Stone Town

Shuttered windows

Doors of Stone Town

Doors of Stone Town

Old, multi-clored shutters

Doors of Stone Town

Doors of Stone Town

Doors of Stone Town

Is a gate a door?

Doors of Stone Town

Interesting windows

Doors of Stone Town

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