Rare proclamation announcing the abdication of Sayid Ali Bin Hamud (1884-1918), the 8th Sultan of Zanzibar, because of ill health. His appointed successor was Sir Khalifa Bin Harub (1879-1960), who would be one of the last sultans of the country. The proclamation is printed in four languages (English, Arabic, Swahili, and Gujarati) and is exceptionally rare, as we have not been able to find any other copies of it anywhere.
Zanzibar consists of a few islands located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Tanzania. Historically, it has played an important role in the trade across the Indian Ocean, between the African Great Lakes, the Somali Peninsula, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, and the Indian subcontinent. The Zanzibar archipelago was discovered by Vasco da Gama (ca. 1460-1524) in 1498 and became part of the Portuguese Empire, until it fell under the control of the Sultanate of Oman in 1698. Somewhat gradually the power over the islands came into the hands of the British Empire in the 19th century, and Zanzibar became an official British Protectorate in 1890. The present work was printed during this time. The Protectorate was terminated in December 1963 and Zanzibar then became a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth. However, just a month later in early 1964, the Zanzibar Revolution began. During this bloody event, the Sultan was deposed and the sultanate replaced by a socialist government. In April 1964, Zanzibar merged with Tanganyika on the mainland, and the names of the two countries were combined into Tanzania. Zanzibar is currently an autonomous region within this country.
The leaves have been glued onto a sturdy grey paper spine. Overall in very good condition.