Our History
Located in the heart of the old city, Kholle House is an oasis of peace, where you can take refuge from the bustling life of the tourist metropolis.
Kholle House was originally built for Princess Kholle, the daughter of the first Omani Sultan of Zanzibar. While it was carefully renovated over a period of three years, and reopened in March 2011, the building still gives a good taste of the life of the Princess and the culture of Spice Island in the 19th century.
1828
Princess Kholle was born. Daughter of the 1st Sultan and an Assyrian concubine.
1860
The princess builds Kholle House as her own private space.
2008
Restoration begins after years of neglect and decay. Keeping with traditional building techniques.
2011
Kholle House opens its doors as a boutique hotel fully restored in all its glory.
The Royal Family
"Princess Sayyida Kholle was considered a woman of rare beauty. Her charming manners, grace and bright spirits earned her the nickname "Njidjm il Subh" or "Morning Star"" - Excerpt from Princess Salme's “Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar
Princess Kholle spent most of her life living behind the walls of one of the Sultan's lavish palaces, each home to many residents including relatives, eunuchs and slaves, as well as all of the Sultan's wives and children from a variety of cultures. Princess Kholle and her siblings would spend their days horseback riding, embroidering, bathing at the Turkish baths, reading, eating, and praying.
Palace gardens were beautifully landscaped with lush vegetation and grand water features. Exotic animals like peacocks, flamingos, ostriches and gazelle roamed freely behind the walls of the palace gardens. To feed the hundreds of residents at the palaces, cooks worked round the clock bringing in thousands of pounds of imported delights daily.
01
Princess Kholle
Born in 1828, Princess Kholle was the daughter of the Sultan of Oman and the first Sultan of Zanzibar. Her mother was an Assyrian from Mesopotamia. She was favored by her father and appointed superintendent of multiple palaces in his absence. Although this inspired jealousy in some siblings, she was renowned for her sweet temper and fairness to both family and servants.
As all royalty were required to live in one of the many palaces during her father's life, this did not prevent her from acquiring property. Princess Kholle purchased one of the finest clove plantations with a beautiful palace called Sebe. She also built Kholle House in Stone Town to display her most valued collectables and entertain her family, friends and visitors.
02
Sayyid Said bin Sultan Al-Said
Sultan Al-Said's rise to power began in 1804 upon the death of his father Sultan bin Ahmed, who was once the Sultan of Oman. He jointly ruled Oman with his brother Salim for two years until he successfully took control becoming the sole Sultan of the country.
In 1832 he made Zanzibar his home after conquering Mombasa, Kenya. He then decided to move the capital of his empire from Muscat, Oman to Stone Town, Zanzibar thereby becoming the Sultan of Oman and Zanzibar too.
During his reign on the island he built many palaces and gardens. He also dramatically improved the islands economy by promoting clove cultivation. His legacy lives on as Zanzibar is still renowned for its cloves, contributing to its famous nickname "Spice Island".
03
Sayyid Barghash bin Said Al-Busaid
Best known for modernizing Stone Town - creating an infrastructure with hospitals, roads, piped water systems, a police force, and administrative buildings like the famous House of Wonders, Sayyid Barghash bin Said Al-Busaid also signed the agreement with Britain to end the slave trade and slave markets in Zanzibar.
Barghash battled for power with his brother Majid who took control of Zanzibar upon the death of their father. Princess Kholle was deeply devoted to Bargash, and her and Princess Salme assisted Barghash in his fight to become Sultan.
Barghash was eventually defeated and left Zanzibar until Majid's death when he returned as the Sultan of Zanzibar. This feud would prove too much for the royal family with siblings changing loyalties and ending the relationship between Princess Salme and Princess Kholle.
04
Princess Salme - Emily Ruete
Princess Salme is best known for her autobiography "Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar". She taught herself writing in secret as a child, resulting in this rich memoir that provides great insight into what Princess Kholle's life was really like behind the walls of the Sultan's Palace.
During the battle between her brothers Majid and Bhargash. Salme sided with Majid ending her relationship with Kholle and Barghash. She then left Zanzibar for Germany with a german merchant she married and changed her name to Emily Ruete. An accident killed her husband and left her alone with their 3 children. Barghash, who was then Sultan, prevented her from returning to Zanzibar leaving her with no inheritance.
Restoration
Princess Kholle was renowned for her refined style and taste and this no doubt was exhibited in the original Kholle House architecture.
We pay homage to Princess Kholle and contribute to Stone Town's preservation efforts through the continued preservation of Kholle House. For three years, we carefully renovated the building with full respect to the construction methods of Princess Kholle's time period, using traditional building materials such as coral, marble, mangrove and lime. Restoration was done in close cooperation with the Stone Town Development and Conservation Authority (STCDA) strictly adhering to UNESCO requirements regarding this heritage site's preservation. We also support this spirit of preserving Stone Town's heritage by supporting local artists and craftsmen who contribute to the Kholle House story.
