Zanzibar's Indian Palace: The Sultans' Bombay Connection

Long before Stone Town's coral walls rose, Zanzibar's sultans built a palace in Bombay. This episode traces the story of the Busaidi dynasty's Indian outpost—a mansion on the Malabar Hill that served as a diplomatic hub, a refuge for exiled princes, and a symbol of the sultanate's Indian Ocean reach. We follow the journeys of Sultan Barghash bin Said, who visited Bombay in 1875 and was hosted by the Khoja merchant Tharia Topan; of Princess Salme, who fled there after a scandalous marriage; and of the palace itself, which eventually became a school. Along the way, we touch on the legal battles over the property, the role of Indian merchants in Zanzibar's economy, and the tangled legacy of Omani rule in India. This is a story of empire, migration, and the material culture of power—told through one building that changed hands across empires and eras. #Zanzibar #Bombay #BarghashbinSaid #ThariaTopan #PrincessSalme #EmilyRuete #Busaidi #Khoja #MalabarHill #ZanzibarHistory #IndianOceanHistory #OmaniEmpire #Diaspora #ColonialArchitecture #History #FexingoHistory #SouthAsia #EastAfrica Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo