Princess Salme Museum
About This Museum
People come to Stone Town for the spices and the sea, but they stay for its stories—and there's no story more captivating than the one tucked away at the Princess Salme Museum. You climb a narrow staircase in this old Omani-style mansion, and suddenly you're stepping directly into a 19th-century world of secret romance and political intrigue. It’s the former home of a real Zanzibari princess who fell in love with a German merchant, a scandal that forced her to flee everything she knew. The place feels less like a sterile museum and more like a beautifully preserved secret, where whispers of the past seem to linger in the air.
Collection Highlights
The most moving items are her personal letters and photographs, which tell her heartbreaking story in her own words. You'll also see exquisite original Zanzibar chests and furniture that make you feel she's just stepped out of the room.
Visitor Information
It's easy to find on Hurumzi Street in the heart of Stone Town; just look for the distinctive carved door. Go in the late afternoon when the light pours through the windows—it's pure magic.
Architecture & Building
Housed in a classic Zanzibari townhouse with beautiful, weathered wooden balconies and those iconic, ornately carved doors that Stone Town is famous for.
Contact & Location
Address: Princess Salme Museum, 236, Hurumzi Street, Kiponda, Mjini, Unguja Mjini Magharibi, Zanzibar زنجبار, 71103, Tanzania
Phone: +255 779 093 966
