Tharia Topan
Was a wealthy Omani or Zanzibari merchant during the 19th century.
History
Early life
The Omani Empire controlled parts of current day Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Tharia Topan was originally of Hindi descent from south western parts of modern day Pakistan.
Old Dispensary (Zanzibar)
The construction of the Old Dispensary was commissioned in 1887 by Tharia Topan to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. Topan's intent was for the building to be used as a charitable hospital for the poor. When he died in 1891, the building was not finished. His widow resumed the works but had to suspend them in 1893 for her budget was exhausted. That same year, as a consequence of a family quarrel, the building was sold off to a new owner, who finally brought it to completion in 1894.[1][2]
He also had made plans in 1885 to build the first public hospital on Zanzibar. [3]
Reference section
- ^ "Stone Town". Archived from the original on 30 August 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
- ^ Stone Town Cultural Centre
- ^ Keller, Sara (2018-09-11). Knowledge and the Indian Ocean: Intangible Networks of Western India and Beyond. Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-96839-1.
External links section