Palace Museum
Palace Museum
Palace Museum (Stone Town, Zanzibar) – this was the official residence of the Sultan of Zanzibar until the island became part of Tanzania in 1964 (when that ruling dynasty came to an end). The ground floor displays details of the formative period of the sultanate from 1828 to 1870 during which commercial treaties were signed between Zanzibar, United States of America, Britain and France. Inside the museum is the memorabilia of Princess Salme, one of the few famous women in the history of Zanzibar.
The exhibits on the 2nd floor focus on the period of affluence from 1870 to 1896 during which modern amenities such as piped water and electricity were introduced to Zanzibar under Sultan Barghash. The third floor consists of the modest living quarters of Sultan Khalifa bin Haroub (1911 to 1960) and his two wives, both of whom clearly had different tastes in furniture. Outside the museum is the Makusurani graveyard where some of the Sultans were buried. Admission: TSH 6,000 per person. Hours: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm (daily).