Timeline of Zanzibar City

The following is a timeline of the history of Zanzibar City, Unguja island, Zanzibar, Tanzania. The city is composed of Ng'ambo and Stone Town. Until recently it was known as Zanzibar Town.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Prior to 19th century

• 1700 – Old Fort of Zanzibar is built by Omanis (approximate date).^[1]
• 1710 – Queen Fatima in power.^[2]
• 1746 – "Arab garrison" installed in fort.^[2]
• 1753 – Fort "unsuccessfully attacked by Mazrui Arabs from Mombasa."^[2]
• 1784 – Zanzibar becomes part of Oman.^[2]

19th century

• 1822 – Moresby Treaty.
• 1828 – The sultan orders a particular portion of the land to be cultivated in to cloe plantations. This result in an expansion of slave import.
• 1830 – Mtoni Palace built near town.^[3]
• 1832 – Capital of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman relocated to Zanzibar from Muscat, Oman by Said bin Sultan.^[4]
• 1836 – United States consulate established.^[4]
• 1841 – British consulate established.^[5]
• 1844 – French consulate established.^[6]
• 1845 – Hamerton Treaty.
• 1850 - Kidichi Baths built near town.^[7]
• 1856 – Majid bin Said of Zanzibar in power.^[8]
• 1870
  • Barghash ibn Said in power.^[5]
  • Population: 70,000 (approximate).^[5]
• 1872 - Cyclone.^[9]
• 1873 – Frere Treaty. British "forced the closure of the slave market."^[5]
• 1879 – Anglican Christ Church built.^[4]
• 1880 – Marhubi Palace built near town.^[3]
• 1883 – House of Wonders built.
• 1888 – Hamamni Persian Baths built.
• 1890 – British in power per Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty.
  • The purchase and selling of slaves is prohibited; slavery itself is preserved.
• 1896 – 27 August: Anglo-Zanzibar War.
• 1897 – Slavery in Zanzibar abolished^[10] except in the case of concubines (abolished in 1909^[11]).
• 1898 – Catholic St. Joseph's Cathedral built.

20th century

• 1904 – Darajani Market building constructed.
• 1905
  • Bububu railway constructed.
  • Plague.^[12]
• 1909 – Slavery in Zanzibar fully abolished with the abolition of slave concubinage.^[11]
• 1910
  • Law courts built.^[4]
  • Population: 35,262.^[13]
• 1914 – 20 September: German SMS Königsberg sinks British HMS Pegasus in harbour.
• 1925 – Peace Memorial Museum established.^[14][3]
• 1928 - Rent strike in Ng'ambo.^[15]
• 1935 - Jubilee Gardens laid out.^[16]
• 1948
  • General strike.^[5][17]
  • Population: 45,284.^[18]
• 1957 – Afro-Shirazi Party headquartered in town.
• 1961 – June: Unrest.^[19]
• 1964
  • 12 January: Zanzibar Revolution; city becomes capital of People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba.
  • April: Sultanate of Zanzibar becomes part of the new United Republic of Tanzania.
  • City becomes capital of semiautonomous region of Zanzibar.^[5]
  • Mtoro Rehani becomes mayor.^[20]
• 1966 - Kikwajuni GDR housing built.^[21]
• 1972 - 7 April: Abeid Karume assassinated.
• 1973 - Television Zanzibar inaugurated.
• 1977 - Trains of Michenzani (housing) built (approximate date).^[21]
• 1985
  • Economic liberalization begins.^[21]
  • Population: 133,000 (estimate).^[22]
• 1994
  • Palace Museum established.
  • Stone Town Conservation Plan approved.^[23]
  • Old Dispensary building restored.
• 1997
  • Zanzibar International Film Festival founded.^[24]
  • Keele Square rehabilitated.^[16]
• 1999
  • Area of city: 1,600 hectares.^[23]
  • Population: 195,000 (estimate).^[23]
• 2000 – Stone Town designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[24]

21st century

• 2004 – Sauti za Busara (music festival) begins.
• 2005 – Population: 220,000 (estimate).^[5]
• 2008 – 21 May – 19 June: 2008 Zanzibar power blackout.
• 2009–2010 – 10 December–March: Second Zanzibar power blackout
• 2009 – Forodhani Gardens rehabilitated.^[16]
• 2012 – Anti-government protests.^[25]
• 2013 – August: Two 18-year-old, British volunteer teachers, Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup, were injured by an acid attack by men on a motorcycle near Stone Town.^[26]
• 2014 – June: Mosque bombed.^[27]

See also

• History of Stone Town
• History of Ng'ambo
• Wards of Zanzibar City
• History of Zanzibar (islands)
• List of sultans of Zanzibar
• Zanzibar Urban/West Region (Zanzibar City is capital)
• List of football clubs in Zanzibar
• Timelines of other cities in Tanzania: Dar es Salaam