Sayyid Khalifa I bin Said al-Busaidi, GCMG, (or Chalîfe) (1852 – 13 February 1890) ( ar, خليفة بن سعيد البوسعيد) was the third

Sultan of Zanzibar The sultans of Zanzibar ( ar, سلاطين زنجبار) were the rulers of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, which was created on 19 October 1856 after the death of Said bin Sultan, who had ruled Oman and Zanzibar as the sultan of Oman since 1804. Th ...

. He ruled Zanzibar from 26 March 1888 to 13 February 1890 and was succeeded by his brother,

Ali bin Said Sayyid Ali bin Said al-Busaidi, GCSI, (1854 – March 5, 1893) ( ar, علي بن سعيد البوسعيد) was the fourth Sultan of Zanzibar. He ruled Zanzibar from February 13, 1890, to March 5, 1893. In June 1890 he was forced to accep ...

Life

In 1870 his elder brother and predecessor

Barghash bin Said Sayyid Barghash bin Said al-Busaidi,(1836 – 26 March 1888) ( ar, برغش بن سعيد البوسعيد), was an Omani Sultan and the son of Said bin Sultan, was the second Sultan of Zanzibar. Barghash ruled Zanzibar from 7 October 1870 to ...

had him imprisoned for the (alleged) entanglement in a coup attempt. According to their sister Emily Ruete, Barghash did not release Khalifah before one of their sisters prepared to set out for a pilgrimage for

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow v ...

, and "he did not want to bring down upon himself a curse pronounced in the Holy City of the Prophet. But his sister did not pardon him before he had set free the innocent Chalîfe." Emily Ruete wrote in 1886: According to Ruete, Barghash continued to spy on Khalifah and his friends. She notes one instance where Barghash apparently willfully ruined a wealthy chief and friend of Khalifah, so that Khalifah would be deprived of support from rich chiefs. He became Sultan upon the sudden death of his brother during the protracted negotiations with the

German East Africa Company The German East Africa Company (german: Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Gesellschaft, abbreviated DOAG) was a chartered colonial organization which brought about the establishment of German East Africa, a territory which eventually comprised the area ...

. Unlike his brother, he gave in to lease the

Tanganyika Tanganyika may refer to: Places * Tanganyika Territory (1916–1961), a former British territory which preceded the sovereign state * Tanganyika (1961–1964), a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania * Tanzania Main ...

coast of mainland East Africa to the Germans, which immediately led to the Abushiri Revolt. Sayyid Khalifa I was appointed an Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the United Kingdom's

Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

on 18 December 1889.London Gazette issue 260004, 20 December 1889
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Honours

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(GCMG)-1888

Footnotes

References

*Ruete, Emily, Ulrich Haarmann (Editor), E. Van Donzel (Editor), Leiden, Netherlands, (1992): ''An Arabian Princess Between Two Worlds: Memoirs, Letters Home, Sequels to the Memoirs, Syrian Customs and Usages.'' {{authority control Al Said dynasty 1852 births 1890 deaths Khalifah bin Said Al-Busaid Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Zanzibari royalty 19th-century Arabs 19th-century Omani people