ZANZIBAR ISLAND
The name Zanzibar came from a combination of two Arabic words, 'Zinj', meaning black, and 'barr', being the Arabic word for land, the result meaning 'Land of the Blacks'.
Zanzibar archipelago comprises the islands Zanzibar and Pemba with a number of islets adjacent thereto. It is part of the United Republic of Tanzania but administratively there is an autonomous government for matters that are not part of the union agreement.
The island of Zanzibar, also called Unguja, is separated from the mainland of East Africa (Tanzania) by a channel which is at its narrowest part 36 km. It is about 85 km (53 miles) in length and 39 km (24 miles)in breadth at its broadest point. Its area is about 1 660km2. It is the largest island on the east coast of Africa. For a small island in the southern waters of the Indian Ocean, Zanzibar has a long and unexpected history. Easily accessible for the people of the African mainland, the Zanzibar islands are believed to have been settled first by Africans, some three to four thousand years ago. Centuries later the island began a history of hosting foreigners from Egypt, Greece, Persia, Arabia, India, China and Europe. It is believed that Bantu people (Africans speaking Bantu languages) settled in Zanzibar somewhere around the 4th century AD. By the 7th century AD, Islam had made its way to Zanzibar by way of Arab and Persian immigrants who were fleeing political strife, war, and famine in their own lands. The Arabs mixed with the local African population and along with trading goods, traded words as well, which eventually resulted in a language called Kiswahili today. The people referred to themselves and their culture as Swahili (thought to be named from the Arabic word sahil meaning coast) and thus the language was named as well.
Zanzibar's capital and largest town is Stone Town, located in the middle of the west coast of Unguja. The town was named for the coral stone buildings that were built there largely during the 19th century.
Stone Town is known for its narrow alleyways, large carved doors and covered balconies. The doors, large wooden carved affairs with or without brass studs, are a part of the Swahili culture that was influenced by Arab and especially Indian motifs.