Jamshid bin Abdullah of Zanzibar

Last reigning Sultan of Zanzibar (r. 1963–64)

Jamshid bin Abdullah جمشيد بن عبد الله
Sultan Jamshid in 1963
Sultan of Zanzibar
Reign	1 July 1963 – 12 January 1964
Predecessor	Sir Abdullah bin Khalifa
Successor	Abeid Karume (as President of Zanzibar)

Born	(1929-09-16) 16 September 1929 (age 94) Unguja, Zanzibar
House	House of Al Said
Father	Sir Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Said
Mother	Sayyida Tohfa bint Ali Al Said

Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah Al Busaidi GCMG (Arabic: جمشيد بن عبد الله البوسعيدي; born 16 September 1929)^[1]^[2] is a Zanzibari royal who was the last reigning Sultan of Zanzibar. He was deposed in the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution, after the United Kingdom gave up its British Protectorate.

Biography

Jamshid ruled Zanzibar from 1 July 1963 to 12 January 1964. On 10 December 1963, the United Kingdom gave up its British protectorate over the already self-governing Zanzibar, leaving it as a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth under Jamshid, responsible for its own defence and foreign affairs. But this state of affairs was short-lived. Without British protection the Sultan was soon overthrown by the majority Africans in the Zanzibar Revolution.

He fled into exile, firstly to Oman, but was not allowed to settle there permanently.^[3] He later moved to the United Kingdom, settling in Portsmouth^[4] with his wife and children.^[5]

While his children and siblings were allowed to settle in Oman in the 1980s, the Omani government continually denied Jamshid's requests to join them, citing security reasons.^[6] Their stance changed in September 2020 when, after Jamshid had lived more than 50 years in the United Kingdom, the government of the new Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, granted his request to return to his ancestral land as a member of the Al-Said royal family, but not as a titular Sultan.^[7]

Honours

National

Sovereign of the Order of the Brilliant Star of Zanzibar (Wisam al-Kawkab al-Durri al-Zanzibari) since 1 July 1963 (1st class on 30 March 1960).

Founder and Sovereign of the Most Illustrious Order of Independence of Zanzibar (Wissam al-Istiqlal) in five classes on 9 November 1963.

Foreign

Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) on 29 December 1963.^[8]

Knight Grand Collar of the Royal Order of the Drum (Rwanda).^[9]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Jamshid bin Abdullah of Zanzibar

16. Thuwaini bin Said

8. Harub bin Thuwaini Al Said

17. Ghaliya bint Salim Al Busaidi

4. Khalifa bin Harub Al Said

18. Turki bin Said

9. Turkiya bint Turki Al Said

19. A daughter of Hamad bin Salim Al Busaidi

2. Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Said

20. Mohammed bin Said Al Said (= 24)

10. Hamud bin Mohammed Al Said (= 12)

21. Ziana bint Mohammed Al Said (= 25)

5. Matuka bint Hamud Al Said

1. Jamshid bin Abdullah Al Said^{[citation needed]}

24. Shamrez bin Said Al Said (= 20)

12. Hamud bin Mohammed Al Said (= 10)

25. Ziana bint Mohammed Al Said (= 21)

6. Ali bin Hamud Al Said

3. Tohfa bint Ali Al Said

References

^ Profile of Jamshid bin Abdullah
^ Rulers
^ Bakari, Mohammed Ali (2001). The Democratisation Process in Zanzibar: A Retarded Transition. GIGA-Hamburg. p. 192. ISBN 978-3-928049-71-9. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
^ "Why the Sultan of Zanzibar took me under his wing". The Guardian. 3 March 2012. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023.
^ "Royals in exile: In Britain, heirs to the thrones". The Independent. 3 April 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
^ "So long, Southsea: last sultan of Zanzibar quits UK after 56 years in exile". The Guardian. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
^ Zanzibar's former sultan arrives in Oman for retirement
^ Galloway, Peter, The Order of St. Michael and St. George. Published by Third Millennium Publishing for the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, U.K. (2000). ISBN 0953696952
^ Guidance for Honours in the De Jure Kingdom of Rwanda

Regnal titles
Jamshid bin Abdullah of Zanzibar House of Al Said Born: 16 September 1929
Preceded by Abdullah bin Khalifa	Sultan of Zanzibar 1 July 1963 – 12 January 1964	Sultanate abolished Abeid Karume as President of Zanzibar
New title	— TITULAR — Sultan of Zanzibar 12 January 1964 – present Reason for succession failure: Sultan's government overthrown in 1964	Incumbent Heir: Sayyid Ali bin Jamshid Al Said