What Forodhani Gardens is
Forodhani is the seafront park on the western edge of Stone Town, laid along the water in front of the Old Fort and the House of Wonders. It is the town’s principal public open space rather than a monument in its own right, and it is worth understanding in that order: a park that residents use, which happens to fill with food stalls after dark.
The Stone Town Conservation and Development Authority lists the restoration of Forodhani Garden, carried out between 2007 and 2009, among its completed projects. Zanzibar’s World Heritage nomination records the Zanzibar Municipal Council as the owner of the town’s designated open and public spaces, which is what this is.
Why the open space matters
UNESCO’s statement of integrity for the property does not treat the buildings alone as the heritage. It names the layout of the town including the relationship of buildings to the open spaces, streets, roads and gardens, and the character of the littoral edge seen from the sea. Forodhani sits at exactly that junction.
That is not an abstraction. Advisory missions to the property have repeatedly asked the authorities to halt the loss of public open space in Stone Town and the covering over of courtyards — it appears as a standing request in the 2024 and 2025 mission terms of reference. A visitor standing on the grass is standing on one of the things the inscription is about.
The park by day
The evening food market is what Forodhani is known for and is covered in the Stone Town guide and the food and market tours guide. In daylight it is a different and quieter place: benches facing the channel, shade, and the seafront walk that the conservation authority rehabilitated along Mizingani between 2017 and 2018.
Two of the town’s landmark buildings front it, and neither can be entered. The House of Wonders is a closed construction site under a long rehabilitation, and the Palace Museum beside it is also under a restoration project. Forodhani is where people photograph both from, which is a reason to be clear in advance that photographing them is what you will be doing.
A note on what may change: in a brief prepared for the January 2025 advisory mission, the authorities described a private developer’s commitment to bring the Forodhani and Hamamni bath-houses into a museum route through the town. That is a stated intention, not a completed change.
Common questions
Is there anything to see at Forodhani in the daytime?
It is a public park with a seafront walk, shade and a view across the channel, facing the Old Fort and the House of Wonders. It is pleasant rather than a sight. The thing it is famous for happens after sunset.
Who looks after it?
The Zanzibar Municipal Council is recorded in the World Heritage nomination as the owner of the town’s public open spaces. The Stone Town Conservation and Development Authority restored the garden between 2007 and 2009 and lists it among its completed projects.
Can I see inside the buildings facing the park?
Not at present. The House of Wonders has been a closed construction site since its partial collapse in December 2020, and the Palace Museum next to it is also the subject of a rehabilitation project.