Freddie Mercury and Zanzibar
Freddie Mercury and Zanzibar
Perhaps you didn’t know but Freddie Mercury’s birthplace is in Africa. On the island of Zanzibar!
Stone Town
An antique structure draws tourists down a short, narrow lane in Zanzibar’s famous Stone Town area. Outside the entrance, faded photographs are tacked, while inside, a gallery of glossy pictures and old newspaper clippings lead to the room’s centerpiece. A black piano with an unusual backstory. That piano was previously played by a young Zanzibari kid. Farrokh Bulsara’s real name was Farrokh Bulsara, but you probably know him as Freddie Mercury.
To visit, you must either fly straight to Zanzibar’s little airport. Or take a boat from the Tanzanian mainland, Dar es Salaam. The ferry arrives in Stone Town, a popular tourist destination.
The Mercury House
The Mercury House is less than a 10-minute walk from the ferry station. The surrounding streets have shops and eateries all seeking your custom.
The “Freddie Mercury birth home” is a little heritage site with two window displays and a plaque recognizing the singer outside the apartment building. But there’s a lot of mystery surrounding the Mercury House, and it’s possible that this isn’t his natal home after all. Continue reading to find out where Freddie Mercury resided and why the precise place of his birth is being debated.
Many historians think that as a youngster, Mercury spent his vacations in Zanzibar and his school years in India. Mercury and his parents used to go to the local Zoroastrian temple on a daily basis when they lived in Stone Town.
The Return to Zanzibar
Mercury returned to Zanzibar at the age of 18 to live with his parents, but he escaped to England the next year to avoid the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution, which deposed the Sultan and slaughtered thousands of Arabs and Indians. He would form Queen and spend the rest of his life there.
As a result, the Mercury House may or may not have been Freddie’s genuine birthplace. However, it is currently being recognized as a location where he did live, at least for a while. It’s the location where all of the memorabilia is on display!
What’s On Display
Freddie Mercury family collections
You can see display cabinets on each side of the huge, ornate wooden entrance. These cases include images of Freddie as well as information about his life. You’ll also notice the large wooden entrance, with its gold-colored fittings and an ornately constructed door frame.
If you’re searching for a bit more Freddie Mercury in your life, check out Mercury’s, a famous bar/restaurant near the ferry. Aside from Freddie Mercury’s mansion, Stone Town has other sights to offer, and you can see them all in half a day with a delightful stroll through the tiny pathways of its historic center.
