Oman's Slave Trade: The Zanzibar Connection and British Abolition

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Oman's deeply entangled role in the Indian Ocean slave trade, focusing on the 19th century when Zanzibar became the world's largest slave market under Omani rule. They discuss how Sultan Said bin Sultan built a clove plantation economy dependent on enslaved labor from East Africa, the brutal conditions on the island of Pemba, and the Omani dhows that transported captives across monsoonal seas. The episode also delves into the British campaign to suppress the trade—including the 1822 Moresby Treaty and the 1845 Hamerton Treaty—and the complex figure of Sir John Kirk, British consul in Zanzibar, who negotiated the closure of the Zanzibar slave market in 1873. Lucas explains how abolition fractured Omani society, pitting coastal mercantile elites against inland tribes, and sowed seeds of resentment that fueled resistance to British influence. The conversation ends by reflecting on how this history echoes in Oman's modern relationship with East Africa. Keywords: Oman, Zanzibar, slave trade, British Empire, clove plantations, Sir John Kirk, Moresby Treaty, Hamerton Treaty, Indian Ocean, Said bin Sultan, Swahili Coast, Pemba, abolition, monsoons, dhows, Arabic, Busaidi, East Africa, 19th century. #Oman #Zanzibar #SlaveTrade #IndianOcean #BritishEmpire #Abolition #SaidBinSultan #SirJohnKirk #MoresbyTreaty #HamertonTreaty #SwahiliCoast #Pemba #ClovePlantations #19thCentury #Slavery #EastAfrica #History #FexingoHistory #OmanHistory #OmaniEmpire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo