Zanzibar 1840: The Baluchi Garrison and the Sultan's Army

In 1840, Sultan Said bin Busaid faced a revolt not from rivals or slaves, but from his own garrison—the Baluchi mercenaries who formed the backbone of his army. Hailing from the Makran coast of present-day Pakistan and Iran, these soldiers had served Omani sultans for generations. But when the Sultan tried to cut their pay, they stormed Stone Town's fort and held it for days. This episode explores the Baluchi community's role in Zanzibar, the revolt's details, and the aftermath involving Jairam Sewji's mediation. We also look at how Baluchi descendants remain in East Africa today, and what this tells us about the cosmopolitan military labor of the Indian Ocean world. #Zanzibar #Baluchi #SaidbinBusaid #JairamSewji #StoneTown #OmaniEmpire #Makran #IndianOceanHistory #SwahiliCoast #MilitaryHistory #Mercenaries #Revolt #1840 #BusaidSultanate #Khoja #Bhatia #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo