The House of Wonders was constructed in 1883 by the Sultan of Zanzibar ‘Barghash Bin Said’ as a ceremonial palace. Barghash made the door extra wide so that he could enter the house on the back of an elephant. The building has large & tall pillars and a 2 story clock tower all are painted white. In 1896 the ruling Sultan passed away, and Khalid Bin Barghash seized the throne which angered the British forces in the area. A 38 minutes bombardment of Stone Town by the British stationed there forced the new rulers to surrender. Thus, Zanzibar became a British protectorate. The death of one sultan and the succession of another of whom the British did not approve later led to the Anglo-Zanzibar War, also known as the shortest war in history.
