The Moresby Treaty was an anti-slavery treaty between Sayyid Said, Sultan of Muscat and Oman and Fairfax Moresby, senior officer of Mauritius, [1] on behalf of Britain in September 1822. [2] [3]
Initially composed of six articles, [4] the purpose of the treaty was to limit the Indian Ocean slave trade by preventing the importation of slaves to British holdings in India and the Indian Ocean from land ruled by Omani Arabs in East Africa. [3] The treaty barred the sale of slaves to Christians of any nationality, [5] recognized the sultan’s jurisdiction over the waters near the East African coast, [6] allowed for the installation of a British official in Zanzibar or the mainland, [3] and created the Moresby Line.
Among the stipulations was the creation of the Moresby Line. The line ran from the southernmost point of the sultan's territory in Africa – Cape Delgado in Mozambique – through the Indian Ocean to the city of Diu on the coast of India. [2] [6] The transportation of slaves west of the established line, a primarily Muslim zone of the Indian Ocean, [7] was at this point considered legal but prohibited on the eastern side. [8] To enforce this rule, warships were given the authority to confiscate ships carrying slaves in illegal waters east of the line and punish the captain in the same manner as a pirate, by "death without the benefit of clergy". [6] The only exemption to this regulation provided for ships that had gone past the line due to conditions beyond their control including extreme weather conditions. [3] Confusion arose as to who exactly was to enforce this part of the treaty as the English version of the text placed responsibility on the Oman while the Arab text placed the onus on the British. [6]
On 17 December 1839 the treaty was expanded in scope, adding three more articles to the original agreement. [9] The extension increased the area in which the transportation of slaves was considered illegal by moving the endpoint of the Moresby Line west to the Port of Pasni on the Makran Coast. [9] Additionally, the amendment prohibited the sale of Somalis as slaves because, as Muslims, they were considered ‘free men’ by the Omani ruler who was a Muslim himself. [3]
It was followed by the Hamerton Treaty in 1845.
The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman, also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran, is a gulf in the Indian Ocean that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs to the Persian Gulf. It borders Iran and Pakistan on the north, Oman on the south, and the United Arab Emirates on the west.
Zanzibar is an insular semi-autonomous region which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, 25–50 km (16–31 mi) off the coast of the African mainland, and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja and Pemba Island. The capital is Zanzibar City, located on the island of Unguja. Its historic centre, Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site.
Gwadar is a port city on the southwestern coast of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. The city is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea, opposite Oman and has a population of over 90,000, according to the 2017 census. It was an overseas possession of Oman from 1783 to 1958. It is about 120 km (75 mi) southwest of Turbat. The sister port city of Chabahar in Iran's Sistan ve Baluchestan province is about 170 km (110 mi) to the west of Gwadar. On 2 April 2021, it was declared the winter capital of Balochistan.
Stonetown of Zanzibar, also known as Mji Mkongwe, is the old part of Zanzibar City, the main city of Zanzibar, in Tanzania. The newer portion of the city is known as Ng'ambo, Swahili for 'the other side'. Stone Town is located on the western coast of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago. Former capital of the Zanzibar Sultanate, and flourishing centre of the spice trade as well as the Indian Ocean slave trade in the 19th century, it retained its importance as the main city of Zanzibar during the period of the British protectorate. When Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined each other to form the United Republic of Tanzania, Zanzibar kept a semi-autonomous status, with Stone Town as its local government seat.
Sayyid Majid bin Saïd al-Busaidi was the first Sultan of Zanzibar. He ruled Zanzibar from 19 October 1856 to 7 October 1870.
Sayyid Saïd bin Sultan al-Busaidi was Sultan of Muscat and Oman, the fifth ruler of the Busaid dynasty from 1804 to 4 June 1856. His rule began after a period of conflict and internecine rivalry of succession that followed the death of his father, Sultan bin Ahmad, in November 1804. He is often referred to as the Lion of Oman, as one of the greatest Omani sultans.
Cosmas Indicopleustes was a merchant and later hermit from Alexandria in Egypt. He was a 6th-century traveller who made several voyages to India during the reign of emperor Justinian. His work Christian Topography contained some of the earliest and most famous world maps. Cosmas was a pupil of the East Syriac Patriarch Aba I and was himself a follower of the Church of the East.
People have lived in Zanzibar for 20,000 years. The earliest written accounts of Zanzibar began when the islands became a base for traders voyaging between the African Great Lakes, the Somali Peninsula, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, and the Indian subcontinent. Unguja offered a protected and defensible harbour, so although the archipelago had few products of value, Omanis and Yemenis settled in what became Zanzibar City as a convenient point from which to trade with towns on the Swahili Coast. They established garrisons on the islands and built the first mosques in the African Great Lakes Region.
Bijrani is a clan of the Buledi tribe, in Balochistan and Sindh, Pakistan. Bijarani is also a clan of the Marri tribe.
The Swahili coast is a coastal area of East Africa, bordered by the Indian Ocean and inhabited by the Swahili people. It includes Sofala ; Mombasa, Gede, Pate Island, Lamu, and Malindi ; and Dar es Salaam and Kilwa. In addition, several coastal islands are included in the Swahili coast, such as Zanzibar and Comoros.
The House of Busaid, also known as the House of Al Said, is the current ruling royal family of Oman, and former ruling house of the Omani Empire (1744–1856), Sultanate of Muscat and Oman (1856–1970) and the Sultanate of Zanzibar (1856–1964). It was founded by Ahmad bin Said Al Busaidi in 1744 and is currently headed by Haitham bin Tariq Al Said.
Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Shri Deshalji II Sahib Bahadur was the Rao of Cutch belonging to Jadeja dynasty, who ascended the throne of Princely State of Cutch upon deposition of his father Bharmalji II by British. He reigned during his minority, under a Council of Regency, headed by Captain MacMurdo and composed of Jadeja chiefs.
The following is a timeline of the history of Zanzibar City, Unguja island, Zanzibar, Tanzania. The city is composed of Ng'ambo and Stone Town. Until recently it was known as Zanzibar Town.
Legal chattel slavery existed in the area which was later to become Oman from antiquity until the 1970s. Oman was united with Zanzibar from the 1690s until 1856, and was a significant center of the Indian Ocean slave trade from Zanzibar in East Africa to the Arabian Peninsula and Iran, a central hub of the regional slave trade, which constituted a large part of its economy.
Atkins Hamerton was a British soldier and diplomat who served as British consul in Zanzibar from 1841 to 1857. He is known for his role in the initially unsuccessful British attempt to end the Arab slave trade between Zanzibar and the Persian Gulf region.
The Indian Ocean slave trade, sometimes known as the East African slave trade, was multi-directional slave trade and has changed over time. Captured in raids primarily south of the Sahara, predominately black Africans were traded as slaves to the Middle East, Indian Ocean islands, Indian subcontinent, and Java. Beginning in the 16th century, they were traded to the Americas, including Caribbean colonies.
Slavery existed in the Sultanate of Zanzibar until 1909. Slavery and slave trade existed in the Zanzibar Archipelago for at least a thousand years. When clove and coconut plantations became a big industry on the islands, domestic slavery expanded to a point where two thirds of the populations were slaves. Zanzibar was internationally known as a major player in the Indian Ocean slave trade, where slaves from the Swahili coast of Eastern Africa were trafficked across the Indian Ocean to Oman in the Arabian Peninsula during the Zanzibar slave trade.
The Jadgal is an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group which speaks the Jadgali language. Jadgals are present in the Balochistan region of Iran and Pakistan, as well as in Oman.
Omani Baloch are the nationals of the Sultanate of Oman who are of Baloch ancestry. Around 20% of Omanis are of Baloch descent whose ancestors migrated to Oman centuries ago, and are now considered native. Baloch form the largest non-Arab community in Oman, and most of them have Al-Balushi as surname. Baloch served as mercenary soldiers for Oman between 18th and 20th century. The first modern army of Oman was exclusively Baloch, and even today around 40% of Omani Army consists of Baloch people. A significant population of Omani Baloch is of Jat origins.
Hamerton Treaty was an treaty signed between Britain and the Omani Empire in 1845. It was named after Atkins Hamerton, who negotiated the treaty on behalf of Britain. The treaty adressed the issue of the Zanzibar slave trade between the Swahili coast in Zanzibar and Oman in the Arabian Peninsula, which was at the time the major part of the ancient Indian Ocean slave trade.