View of Stone Town, Zanzibar, from the sea, with Beit-al-Sahel and Beit-el-Ajaib (the palace of Sultan Barghash) in the background Stone Town, Zanzibar, vue de la mer, avec, au fond, Beït-al-Sahel et Beït-el-Ajaib (le palais du Sultan Barghash)

In the Indian Ocean, off the coast of east-central Africa, the island Zanzibar was central to the slave and ivory trade routes into the interior of the continent. In 1832, the sultan of Oman, Sa'id ibn Sultan, decided to transfer his capital from Muscat to Zanzibar, which was part of his vast African domains. In 1861, the island was separated from Oman and became an independant sultanate. Under the rule of Sultan Barghash, Great Britain and Germany divided most of Zanzibar's mainland territory. Barghash died in 1888, the year Gnther (who was German) painted this oil. Two years later, Zanzibar became a British protectorate.