House of Wonders (Zanzibar)
Introduction
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The House of Wonders, built by Sultan Barghash bin Said of Zanzibar in 1883, was the first building Zanzibar with electricity and the first in East Africa with an elevator. Sultan Barghash used the palace to receive visitors and celebrate new technologies, such as his private car collection. It was partly damaged during the short Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896, after which the prominent clock tower was added to its facade. It has been used as a palace, administrative office, school, and museum. It closed to the public for repairs in 2017; there is no scheduled date for reopening.
Sources
House of Wonders. Wikipedia. January 14, 2018. Accessed March 10, 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Wonders.