Old Dispensary, Medical heritage building in Stone Town, Tanzania

The Old Dispensary, also called Ithnashiri Dispensary, stands on Mizingani Road between the Palace Museum and the harbour. Its main structure is coral rag and limestone covered with European neo-classical stucco, while the carved wooden balconies with stained glass show Indian influence. Inside, a covered courtyard and carved bridges connect the floors.

Tharia Topan, a wealthy Ismaili Indian merchant, commissioned the building in 1887 for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, intending it as a charitable hospital for the poor. He died in 1891 with the work unfinished; his widow resumed construction but halted it in 1893 when funds ran out, and it was sold and completed in 1894. In 1900 Haji Nasser Nurmohamed bought it, using the ground floor as a dispensary and partitioning the upper floors into flats. After the 1964 revolution it was requisitioned and decayed until the Aga Khan Trust for Culture restored it, finishing in April 1994.

The building shows how different cultures mixed in Stone Town through Indian craftsmen, European merchants, and local Swahili traditions that shaped its appearance. You can see this in the carved wooden balconies, colored walls, and the way rooms are arranged inside.

The building sits near the waterfront in central Stone Town and is easy to reach on foot when walking through the old streets. Visitors should expect uneven pathways and show respect for the historical structure to avoid damaging the old wooden balconies and walls.

Each wooden balcony contains detailed carvings that show the technical skill of Indian craftsmen working in Stone Town in the 1800s. These fine details become particularly noticeable when you look at them in morning or late afternoon sunlight.