Zanzibar: A Century-Spanning Story in a Spice Island
By EVAREST MARINDO
Published on October 7, 2025
The history of Zanzibar is a captivating journey defined by its role as a pivotal maritime trade hub on the Indian Ocean route. Early African Bantu populations mixed with Arab, Persian, and Indian merchants, giving rise to the unique Swahili culture. European dominance began with the Portuguese but was swiftly eclipsed when the Omani Sultanate took control in 1698, a period that reached its peak in 1840 when Sultan Sayyid Said moved his capital to Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the nerve center for both the lucrative clove trade and the tragic East African slave trade. Under increasing British pressure, the slave trade was abolished, and Zanzibar became a British Protectorate in 1890, an era punctuated by the 1896 Anglo-Zanzibar War—history's shortest conflict—which cemented British rule. After gaining independence in 1963, political tensions between the Arab elite and the African majority exploded into the bloody Zanzibar Revolution of 1964, leading directly to the islands' union with Tanganyika to form Tanzania. Today, visitors on an Everest Adventures Zanzibar Holiday can explore this complex legacy through Zanzibar Excursions like the fragrant Spice Tour Zanzibar, the historic Stone Town Walking Tour, and Snorkeling near Mnemba Atoll
