Historical Ruins – North of Stone Town
Hauntingly beautiful and deeply atmospheric, the Maruhubi Palace Ruins stand as a testament to Zanzibar's opulent sultanate era. Constructed in 1880 by the powerful Sultan Barghash bin Said to house his royal household, the palace once featured grand domed baths, ornate carved stone pillars, elaborate fish ponds fed by fresh springs, and majestic reception chambers. Tragically destroyed by fire in 1899, what remains today — delicate carved columns rising above ancient fish ponds, surrounded by the shade of towering mango and baobab trees — is one of the most romantically evocative archaeological sites on the East African coast.