Barghash bin Said, Sultan of Zanzibar

Sitter in 2 portraits
Barghash contested his elder, half-brother Majid's right to the throne after their father's death. The family feuding brought about shifts in loyalty from other family members. As a result, he spent two years in exile in Bombay but eventually returned upon his brother's death to become the Sultan of Zanzibar. Barghash took responsibility for modernising the capital, Stone Town. He is credited with improving vital infrastructure and amenities, which included building new roads, public baths, parks, government buildings and hospitals. He ruled at a time when Britain was escalating its imperial interest in Africa. Barghash was instrumental in the abolition of the slave trade in Zanzibar, signing two agreements with Britain to end the slave trade and slave markets in Zanzibar.