H i s t o r y   o f  t h e H u r u m z i  H o u s e

Folklore and local memory tell that the Hurumzi House was built and lived in by a man named Tharia Thopan, often called the Bismarck of the Swahili Empire. Due to his close ties to the Sultan of the time, Thopan was permitted to build his house as the second highest in Stone Town; second only to the Sultan's own ceremonial palace, The House of Wonders.

Further stories say that in the 1880's this building was where British authorities paid Arab slave owners to free their slaves. It is said that the name Hurumzi comes from "Huru - MUUZE", meaning "let them free". Still not verified by the complex maze of Zanzibar archive records, these stories add to the mystery of this impressive building on Hurumzi Street.

The building has survived yearly monsoons, numerous inhabitants and various governments. After the revolution in 1964, Zanzibar engaged in an experiment with socialism along with Tanganyika, what is now known as mainland Tanzania. Regretfully, this caused the grave neglect of Stone Town and its treasury of heritage buildings including the Hurumzi house.