The name of one of the largest buildings in Stone Town, built in a tropical Victorian style, is Beit el-Ajaib, or House of Wonders. It was designed by a certain Scottish marine engineer and commissioned by the Sultan of Barghash in 1883. For some time the house served as a residence of the Sultan. But in 1896 the three-storey building became the object of British bombardment: the British did not want Sultan Khalid bin Bargash to take the throne after the death of Sultan Hamad (1893 - 1896).After the shortest war in Zanzibar's history, lasting only 45 minutes (exactly how long the British shelled the palace), the Sultan chose to surrender to the British.When the building was renovated, the next sultan, Hamoud (1902 - 1911), used the upper floor as his residence, and after 1913 the government of Zanzibar met here.Beit el-Ajaib was not only the largest building in the whole of Zanzibar, it was also the first building to have electricity, running water and even a lift. Since the Zanzibar government began holding its meetings elsewhere, Beit el-Ajaib occasionally hosts exhibitions and parties, and recently opened a luxury restaurant. Although a commemorative plaque outside the entrance says that the house will one day house a museum of Zanzibar's history and Swahili civilisation...
