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Sultan of Zanzibar
Flag of the Sultanate of Zanzibar (1963).svg
Sultanate flag
Khalifa bin Hareb (cropped).jpg
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 were the rulers of the Sultanate of Zanzibar. This sultanate was formed on October 19, 1856. It happened after the death of Said bin Sultan. He had been the ruler of both Oman and Zanzibar since 1804. The sultans of Zanzibar belonged to a branch of the Al Said Dynasty from Oman.

In 1698, Zanzibar became part of Oman's lands across the sea. It was controlled by the sultan of Oman. Arab traders had been important in trading with the island for hundreds of years. Traders from Persia and India also visited. They came with the seasonal musim (west wind). They could return east months later when the wind changed.

Around 1832 or 1840, Said bin Sultan moved his capital. He moved it from Muscat in Oman to Stone Town on Zanzibar. He set up a ruling Arab group. He also encouraged the growth of clove farms. For this, he used people who were forced to work on the island.

Zanzibar's trade was increasingly handled by traders from India. Said encouraged them to live on the island. Traders had been coming to the island for centuries. After Said died in 1856, two of his sons argued over who would rule next. These were Majid bin Said and Thuwaini bin Said. They split Zanzibar and Oman into two separate areas. Thuwaini became the sultan of Oman. Majid became the first sultan of Zanzibar.

During his 14 years as sultan, Majid made his power stronger. He focused on the East African slave trade. His successor, Barghash bin Said, helped end the slave trade in Zanzibar. He also improved the country's roads and buildings. The third sultan, Khalifa bin Said, also worked to end slavery.

Until 1886, the sultan of Zanzibar also controlled a large part of the East African coast. This area was known as Zanj. The sultan also controlled trading routes that went deep into the continent. These routes reached as far as Kindu on the Congo River. In 1886, the British and Germans secretly met. They decided how the area under the sultan's rule would be divided.

Over the next few years, European powers took over most of the sultanate's mainland lands. In 1890, the Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty was signed. This happened during Ali bin Said's rule. Zanzibar then became a British protectorate. This meant Britain protected and controlled it. In August 1896, Britain and Zanzibar fought a very short war. It lasted only 38 minutes. This happened after Khalid bin Barghash took power. He did this after Hamid bin Thuwaini died.

The British wanted Hamoud bin Mohammed to be sultan. They believed he would be easier to work with. The British gave Khalid one hour to leave the sultan's palace in Stone Town. Khalid did not leave. Instead, he gathered an army of 2,800 men to fight the British. The British attacked the palace and other places in the city. Khalid left and later went to live in another country. The British then made Hamoud the sultan.

Khalifa bin Harub became Sultan of Zanzibar in late 1911. He ruled until his death in October 1960.

In December 1963, Zanzibar became independent from the United Kingdom. It became a constitutional monarchy under the sultan. This meant the sultan was the head of state, but a constitution limited his power. Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah was overthrown a month later. This happened during the Zanzibar Revolution. Jamshid went to live in another country. The Sultanate was replaced by the People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba. This new government was mostly led by Africans.

In April 1964, the republic joined with Tanganyika. They formed the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. This country was renamed 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 A black-and-white photograph of a man with a dark beard wearing a turban and robes, sitting on a patterned chair, and looking at the viewer 19 October 1856 7 October 1870 13 years, 347 days Bargash bin Said tried to take the throne from his brother in 1859, but failed. He was sent away to Bombay for two years.
2 bin Said, BarghashBarghash bin Said Sayyid Sir Barghash bin Said Al-Busaid A black-and-white photograph of a man with a dark beard wearing a turban, a dark jacket, a shirt, and a belt, sitting in a chair, and looking at the viewer 7 October 1870 26 March 1888 17 years, 148 days He helped build much of Zanzibar's infrastructure (especially in Stone Town). This included piped water, telegraph cables, buildings, and roads. He helped end the Zanzibar slave trade by signing an agreement with Britain in 1870. This agreement stopped the slave trade in the sultanate and closed the slave market in Mkunazini.
3 bin Said, KhalifaKhalifa bin Said Sayyid Sir Khalifa I bin Said Al-Busaid A black-and-white sketch of a man with a dark beard wearing glasses, a turban, a dark jacket, and a white shirt all in front of a white background 26 March 1888 13 February 1890 1 year, 352 days He supported ending slavery, just like the sultan before him.
4 bin Said, AliAli bin Said Sayyid Sir Ali bin Said Al-Busaid A black-and-white photograph of a man with a dark beard wearing a turban, a dark jacket, and a white shirt, sitting, and looking at the viewer 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 made Zanzibar a British protectorate.
5 bin Thuwayni, HamidHamid bin Thuwayni Sayyid Sir Hamad bin Thuwaini Al-Busaid A black-and-white photograph of a man with a dark beard wearing a turban, a dark jacket, and a white shirt, sitting, and looking at the viewer 5 March 1893 25 August 1896 3 years, 173 days
6 bin Barghash, KhalidKhalid bin Barghash Sayyid Khalid bin Barghash Al-Busaid A black-and-white sketch of a man with a dark beard wearing a turban, a dark jacket, and a white shirt and looking to the right of the viewer 25 August 1896 27 August 1896 2 days He was involved in the Anglo-Zanzibar War. This was the shortest war ever recorded in history.
7 bin Mohammed, HamoudHamoud bin Mohammed Sayyid Sir Hamoud bin Mohammed Al-Busaid A black-and-white photograph of a man with a white beard wearing a turban, a dark jacket, a white shirt, and a belt and sitting on a chair 27 August 1896 18 July 1902 5 years, 325 days He issued the final order to end slavery in Zanzibar on April 6, 1897. For this, Queen Victoria gave him a special honor.
8 bin Hamud, AliAli bin Hamud Sayyid Ali bin Hamud Al-Busaid A black-and-white photograph of a man with a dark moustache wearing a turban and a dark jacket and sitting on a throne topped by two metal lions 20 July 1902 9 December 1911 9 years, 144 days The British First Minister, Mr. A. Rogers, ruled for him until Ali turned 21 on June 7, 1905.
9 bin Harub, KhalifaKhalifa bin Harub Sayyid Sir Khalifa II bin Harub Al-Busaid A black-and-white photograph of a man with a dark beard wearing a turban, a dark jacket, a white shirt, and several medals and looking to the right of the viewer 9 December 1911 9 October 1960 48 years, 305 days He was the brother-in-law of Ali bin Hamud. He oversaw the building of the harbor in Stone Town and paved roads in Pemba.
10 bin Khalifa, AbdullahAbdullah bin Khalifa Sayyid Sir Abdullah bin Khalifa Al-Busaid Sultan of Zanzibar abdullah ibn chalifa 1960-1963.jpg 9 October 1960 1 July 1963 2 years, 265 days
11 bin Abdullah, JamshidJamshid bin Abdullah Sayyid Sir Jamshid bin Abdullah Al Busaid Jamshid bin Abdullah of Zanzibar.jpg 1 July 1963 12 January 1964 195 days On December 10, 1963, Zanzibar became independent from the United Kingdom. It was a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth under Jamshid.

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