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Majid bin Said becomes Sultan of Zanzibar

Time Place People

تولي ماجد بن سعيد سلطنة زنجبار

Zanzibar

Majid bin Said became sultan of the Omani empire, based at its capital Zanzibar, on his father's death on 19 October 1856; his brother at Muscat contested the succession.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Colonial Era
Region
East Africa & Swahili coast

In time

1840185018601870
The Colonial Era

In space

Zanzibar

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Summary

Majid bin Said became sultan of the Omani empire, based at its capital Zanzibar, when his father Said bin Sultan died on 19 October 1856. 1

The disputed succession

Majid had already been his father's deputy in Zanzibar. Said died at sea that day, and the English article records the burial in the Makusurani Cemetery at Zanzibar. 2 3 The succession was contested: the elder brother Thuwaini took Muscat and Oman and claimed the whole inheritance. 1 Britannica says Said's will divided the dominions between Majid in Zanzibar and Thuwaini in Muscat and Oman. 3

Connections

Explore the connections

Occurred at
Zanzibar
Had participant
Majid bin Said· Said bin Sultan

People and things also explored

Majid bin Said· Said bin Sultan· Zanzibar· Death of Majid bin Said in Zanzibar· Said bin Sultan moves his capital to Zanzibar· Emily Ruete (Sayyida Salme)· Assassination of Abeid Karume· Zanzibar accepts the British protectorate

Sources

  1. Majid bin Said — English Wikipedia
  2. Said bin Sultan — English Wikipedia
  3. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Saʿīd ibn Sulṭān' (G. S. P. Freeman-Grenville)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Majid bin Said becomes Sultan of Zanzibar”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/majid-bin-said-accedes-in-zanzibar/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-01.

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Majid bin Said

Majid bin Said al-Busaidi (c. 1834–1870), first Sultan of Zanzibar. Born on Unguja, Zanzibar, a son of Said bin Sultan by his Circassian consort Sarah, he was his father's governor and regent in Zanzibar before Said's death. He succeeded his father in 1856, his elder brother Thuwaini at Muscat contested the succession, and the dispute ended with the Canning Award of 1861, which divided the dominions permanently: Zanzibar and East Africa to Majid, Muscat and Oman to Thuwaini, with Zanzibar paying an annual subsidy to Muscat. His brother Barghash rebelled in 1859, failed, and was exiled to Bombay for two years. Zanzibar's wealth and trade grew in his reign, he founded Dar es Salaam on the mainland coast, and he died at Zanzibar in 1870 and was succeeded by Barghash.