The Order of the Brilliant Star of Zanzibar (Wisam al-Kawkab al-Durri al-Zanzibari) is a decoration awarded by the

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...

Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islan ...

for meritorious services and since

The Order of Independence ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

was created in 1963 it is reserved for the persons rendering extraordinary service to the Sultan, his heirs and successors and other members of the Royal family. It was state order from its inception in 1865 to the overthrow of the Sultanate on 12 January 1964 and currently is a House Order of the Zanzibari Royal Family. Current Grand Master is

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamm ...

Jamshid bin Abdullah Al Said, Titular Sultan of Zanzibar. Initially the decoration had two grades, the first of which was usually awarded to foreign heads of state and the second which was further subdivided into five hierarchical classes. Currently the second grade only is being awarded.

History

The Order was instituted by Sultan

Sayyid Majid bin Said Al-Busaid Sayyid Majid bin Saïd al-Busaidi ( ar, ماجد بن سعيد البوسعيد) ( – ) was the first Sultan of Zanzibar. He ruled Zanzibar from 19 October 1856 to 7 October 1870. He succeeded his father Said bin Sultan as ruler of Zanzibar and ...

in 1865, amended by Sultan Barghash bin Said on 22 December 1875, and amended again by Sultan Sayyid Sir Khalifa II bin Harub Al-Said on 5 August 1918 when it became an award in five classes for meritorious service (1. First Class – limited to 40 recipients, 2. Second Class – 60 recipients, 3. Third Class – 80 recipients, 4. Fourth Class – 90 recipients, and 5. Fifth Class – 100 recipients).

Design

Both classes awarded neck medals in

medallion A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

form to be worn around the neck on formal occasions and breast badges, smaller awards which could be worn on the left breast like conventional

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

s. The neck medal was made of

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

gilt, enamel and

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

with a five pointed star surrounded by a wreath. The centre of the medal featured a

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this ...

of the awarding Sultan for the first grade medals and the Sultan's

monogram A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbols or logos. A series ...

in gold on a red background for the second grade. The breast order was an eight pointed star in silver, again featuring the Sultan's portrait for the first grade and a monogram for the second. The ribbon for all medals was red with white edges.

Classes and insignia

I grade * Grand Cross II grade * Grand Cross (limited to 40 members) * Grand Officer (limited to 60 members) * Commander (limited to 80 members) * Officer (limited to 90 members) * Member (limited to 100 members)

Notable recipients

* Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini, Aga Khan IV *

Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of ...

(I grade with diamonds) * Paul von Buri * Henry Edward Colvile * Clement Lloyd Hill *

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

Lloyd Mathews Sir Lloyd William Mathews, (7 March 1850 – 11 October 1901) was a British naval officer, politician and abolitionist. Mathews joined the Royal Navy as a cadet at the age of 13 and progressed through the ranks to lieutenant. He was involved wit ...

Isma'il Pasha Isma'il Pasha ( ar, إسماعيل باشا ; 12 January 1830 – 2 March 1895), was the Khedive of Egypt and conqueror of Sudan from 1863 to 1879, when he was removed at the behest of Great Britain. Sharing the ambitious outlook of his grand ...

* Cecil Pereira *

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

Arthur Raikes Arthur Edward Harington Raikes (5 February 1867 – 3 March 1915) was a British army officer who served as acting prime minister, vizier and first minister to numerous Sultans of Zanzibar. Serving in the Wiltshire Regiment Raikes took up ...

* Harry Rawson * John Houston Sinclair *

Michael Tighe (Indian Army officer) Sir Michael Joseph Tighe (1864–1925) was a British Army general who served in East Africa during World War I. Biography Tighe was born on 21 May 1864. He graduated from Sandhurst Military College and was commissioned in the British Army in ...

Hermann Wissmann Hermann Wilhelm Leopold Ludwig Wissmann, after 1890 Hermann von Wissmann (4 September 1853 – 15 June 1905), was a German explorer and administrator in Africa. Early life Born in Frankfurt an der Oder, Wissmann was enlisted in the Army in 18 ...

(II grade, Grand Cross)

Gallery

File:Versierselen van de Bijzondere Klasse in de Orde van de Stralende Ster van Zanzibar.gif, Neck and breast versions of the First (or sovereign's) Order File:Versiersel van een Commandeur in de Orde van de Stralende Ster van Zanzibar.gif, Neck version of the third class of the Second Order File:Orde van Zanzibar Ster.gif, Breast version of the Second Order

References

*{{citation, last=Patience, first=Kevin, title=Zanzibar and the Shortest War in History, publisher=Kevin Patience, location=Bahrain, year=1994, page=17.

External links

* The Official Website of the Zanzibari Royal Family http://www.zanzibarroyalfamily.org Orders, decorations, and medals of the Sultanate of Zanzibar Awards established in 1875