With its peppermint-green latticework balconies and sculpted clock tower, the most attractive landmark on the waterfront is this late-19th-century charitable dispensary. It was built by Tharia Topan, a prominent Ismaili Indian merchant who also acted as financial adviser to the sultan and banker to Tippu Tip, Zanzibar’s most notorious slave trader. You’re free to wander through the interior, which now accommodates offices.
