List of sultans of Zanzibar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sultan of Zanzibar
Sultanate flag
Longest serving ruler: Khalifa bin Harub of Zanzibar 9 December 1911 – 9 October 1960
Details
First monarch	Majid bin Said
Last monarch	Jamshid bin Abdullah
Formation	1856
Abolition	1964
Residence	Sultan's Palace, Stone Town
Appointer	Hereditary
Pretender(s)	Jamshid bin Abdullah

The sultans of Zanzibar (Arabic: سلاطين زنجبار; Swahili: Sultani wa Zanzibar) were the rulers of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, which was created on 19 October 1856 after the death of Said bin Sultan. He had ruled Oman and Zanzibar as the sultan of Oman since 1804. The sultans of Zanzibar were of a cadet branch of the Al Said Dynasty of Oman.

In 1698, Zanzibar became part of the overseas holdings of Oman, falling under the control of the sultan of Oman. Omani and other Arab traders had already been prominent in trade with the island for hundreds of years. It was also visited by traders from Persia and India, who arrived with the seasonal musim (west wind). Months later they could return east with a change in the wind.

In 1832, or 1840 (the date varies among sources), Said bin Sultan moved his capital from Muscat in Oman to Stone Town on Zanzibar. He established a ruling Arab elite and encouraged the development of clove plantations, using the island's enslaved Black Africans as labourers.

Zanzibar's commerce fell increasingly into the hands of traders from the Indian subcontinent, whom Said encouraged to settle on the island. Traders had been coming to the island from Persia, Arabia, and India for hundreds of years. After Said's death in 1856, two of his sons, Majid bin Said and Thuwaini bin Said, struggled over the succession. They divided Zanzibar and Oman into two separate principalities; Thuwaini became the sultan of Oman while Majid became the first sultan of Zanzibar.

During his 14-year reign as sultan, Majid consolidated his power around the East African slave trade. His successor, Barghash bin Said, helped abolish the slave trade in Zanzibar and is credited with developing the country's infrastructure. The third sultan, Khalifa bin Said, also furthered the country's progress toward abolishing slavery.

Until 1886, the sultan of Zanzibar also controlled a substantial portion of the east African coast, known as Zanj, and trading routes that extended further into the continent, as far as Kindu on the Congo River. That year, the British and Germans secretly met and re-established the area under the sultan's rule.

Over the next few years, European imperial powers took over most of the mainland possessions of the Sultanate. With the signing of the Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty in 1890 during Ali bin Said's reign, Zanzibar became a British protectorate. In August 1896, Britain and Zanzibar fought a 38-minute war, the shortest in recorded history, after Khalid bin Barghash had taken power following Hamid bin Thuwaini's death.

The British had wanted Hamoud bin Mohammed to become sultan, believing that he would be much easier to work with. The British gave Khalid an hour to vacate the sultan's palace in Stone Town. Khalid failed to do so, and instead assembled an army of 2,800 men to fight the British. The British launched an attack on the palace and other locations around the city. Khalid retreated and later went into exile. The British installed Hamoud as sultan.

Khalid bin Harub became Sultan of Zanzibar in late 1911; he served until his death in October 1960.

In December 1963, Zanzibar was granted independence by the United Kingdom and became a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth under the sultan. Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah was overthrown a month later during the Zanzibar Revolution. Jamshid fled into exile, and the Sultanate was replaced by the People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba, a government dominated by Africans.

In April 1964, the republic was united with Tanganyika to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. This was renamed as Tanzania six months later.

Sultans of Zanzibar

No.	Sultan	Full name	Portrait	Began rule	Ended rule	Rule duration	Notes
1	bin Said, MajidMajid bin Said	Sayyid Majid bin Said Al-Busaid		19 October 1856	7 October 1870	13 years, 347 days	Bargash bin Said attempted to usurp the throne from his brother in 1859, but failed. He was exiled to Bombay for two years.
2	bin Said, BarghashBarghash bin Said	Sayyid Sir Barghash bin Said Al-Busaid		7 October 1870	26 March 1888	17 years, 148 days	Responsible for developing much of the infrastructure in Zanzibar (especially Stone Town), like piped water, telegraph cables, buildings, roads, etc. Helped abolish the Zanzibar slave trade by signing an agreement with Britain in 1870, prohibiting slave trade in the sultanate, and closing the slave market in Mkunazini.
3	bin Said, KhalifaKhalifa bin Said	Sayyid Sir Khalifa I bin Said Al-Busaid		26 March 1888	13 February 1890	1 year, 352 days	Supported abolitionism, like his predecessor.
4	bin Said, AliAli bin Said	Sayyid Sir Ali bin Said Al-Busaid		13 February 1890	5 March 1893	3 years, 20 days	The British and German Empires signed the Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty in July 1890. This treaty turned Zanzibar into a British protectorate.
5	bin Thuwayni, HamidHamid bin Thuwayni	Sayyid Sir Hamad bin Thuwaini Al-Busaid		5 March 1893	25 August 1896	3 years, 173 days
6	bin Barghash, KhalidKhalid bin Barghash	Sayyid Khalid bin Barghash Al-Busaid		25 August 1896	27 August 1896	2 days	Was a belligerent in the Anglo-Zanzibar War, the shortest war in recorded history.
7	bin Mohammed, HamoudHamoud bin Mohammed	Sayyid Sir Hamoud bin Mohammed Al-Busaid		27 August 1896	18 July 1902	5 years, 325 days	Issued the final decree abolishing slavery in Zanzibar on 6 April 1897. For this, he was knighted by Queen Victoria.
8	bin Hamud, AliAli bin Hamud	Sayyid Ali bin Hamud Al-Busaid		20 July 1902	9 December 1911	9 years, 144 days	The British First Minister, Mr A. Rogers, served as regent until Ali reached the age of 21 on 7 June 1905.
9	bin Harub, KhalifaKhalifa bin Harub	Sayyid Sir Khalifa II bin Harub Al-Busaid		9 December 1911	9 October 1960	48 years, 305 days	Brother-in-law of Ali bin Hamud. Oversaw the construction of harbor in Stone Town and tar roads in Pemba.
10	bin Khalifa, AbdullahAbdullah bin Khalifa	Sayyid Sir Abdullah bin Khalifa Al-Busaid		9 October 1960	1 July 1963	2 years, 265 days
11	bin Abdullah, JamshidJamshid bin Abdullah	Sayyid Sir Jamshid bin Abdullah Al Busaid		1 July 1963	12 January 1964	195 days	On 10 December 1963, Zanzibar received its independence from the United Kingdom as a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth under Jamshid.

Family tree

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Sultanes de Zanzíbar para niños

• Tanzania
  • Politics of Tanzania
  • List of governors of Tanganyika
  • President of Tanzania
    • List of heads of state of Tanzania
  • Prime Minister of Tanzania
    • List of prime ministers of Tanzania
  • President of Zanzibar
  • List of heads of government of Zanzibar
  • List of rulers of Oman