Tippu Tip's House is a historical building in Stone Town, Zanzibar, located in Suicide Alley in the Shangani wardSee map in Keith Bain et al., Frommer's Kenya and Tanzania, Frommer 2009, p. 345 near the Africa House Hotel and Serena Inn, about 15–25 minute walking time from the Old Fort and Forodhani Gardens. It is the house where the powerful merchant and slave trader Tippu Tip (1837–1905) lived. The building was a private residence until the Zanzibar Revolution and was later converted into a block of flats.
Despite being a tourist attraction, it is not formally open to visitors, and it is in such a state of decay that it has been described as "the most magnificent squat in all of Africa".Chris McIntyre and Susan McIntyre, Zanzibar, Bradt Travel Guides 2009, p. 171 The large decorated carved wooden door, as well as the black and white marble steps,J. Finke, The Rough Guide to Zanzibar, Rough Guides 2002, p. 71 still testify the great wealth of the historical owner of the house.
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