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A rather unassuming 3-story building in Zanzibar, where explorer David Livingstone set out on his last expedition. The building was erected in 1860, after the scientist’s death it was used by the local Hindu community. Later, the government bought the house and carried out its reconstruction. Now there is a tourist office, which organizes various excursions for travelers.
In the capital of Zanzibar, Stone Town is a rather unsightly at first glance three-story building. An ordinary rectangular house with red tiles can hardly attract the attention of tourists in terms of architectural attraction. However, this building is very valuable from a historical point of view – it can literally take us back to the era of the discoverers and explorers of the once unexplored wild lands of Zanzibar and other parts of the African continent.
The building is also known as Livingstone House, from where the famous explorer of African lands set out on his last expedition, which ended tragically. It was built especially for Sultan Majeed on the outskirts of Stone Town, so he could stop here for a rest while leaving the capital. The building took several months to erect in 1860 and is not an architectural extravagance.
David Livingstone, whose name is familiar from the history and geography textbooks, was a remarkable English explorer who devoted his life to missionary work and the introduction of civilization to the wilds of Africa. In the mid-19th century he was sent to Africa for missionary purposes in an effort to convert the natives to the Anglican faith. But unfortunately, the great scholar was a little short on oratory skills, and instead of missionary work he decided to explore the land.
Livingstone was most interested in finding the source of the Nile River – it could be an important scientific discovery. To do so, David would have to explore a large part of northern Africa, investigate Lake Tanganyika and the Lualaba River. The expedition was planned carefully and with all the attention to detail, renowned explorers from around the world were summoned to Livingstone House, which became the starting point. Unfortunately, during the expedition, David Livingstone contracted malaria, and he died in 1873 in the Chitambo settlement in Zambia.
After the great traveler’s death, Livingstone’s House served for some time as a “staging post” for those explorers who continued his work. Later the building was used by the Hindu community. In 1947 it was finally purchased by the Tanzanian government and a few rooms were devoted to scientific laboratories. Today the office of the state tourist organization of Zanzibar is located here and excursions are offered for tourists.
