AL BU SA'ID DYNASTY

Muslim dynasty of Oman, in southeastern Arabia (c. 1749 to the present), and of Zanzibar, in East Africa (c. 17491964). Ahmad ibn Sa'id, who had been governor of Suhar, Oman, in the 1740s under the Persian Ya'rubids, managed to displace the Ya'rubids by about 1749 and become imam of Oman and of Zanzibar, Pemba, and Kilwa, in East Africa. His successorsknown as sayyids, or, later, as sultansexpanded their possessions in the late 18th century to include Bahrain in the Persian Gulf and Bandar-e 'Abbas, Hormuz, and Qeshm (all in Iran). In 1798 the threat of the militant Wahhab is (a fundamentalist Islamic sect in central Arabia) caused Sultan ibn Ahmad (reigned 17921804) to conclude a treaty with the East India Company that would assure a British presence in Muscat (Masqat), the Al Bu Sa'idi capital, which was an important port on the trade route to India. Under Sa'id ibn Sultan (reigned 1806/0756), the Bu Sa'idi family reached the peak of its influence. Sa'id established treaties with the United States (1833) and France (1844), strengthened his ties with Great Britain, and placed the East African Arab and Swahili colonies from Mogadisho (Muqdisho) to Cape Delgado under his suzerainty. The equilibrium of the sultanate was still threatened by Wahhabi attacks and tribal unrest in the mountains, but, with British aid, Sa'id kept them in check. In 1854, out of gratitude for such support, the sayyid gave Great Britain the Khuriya Muriya Islands. On Sa'id's death in 1856, the Al Bu Sa'idi dominions were divided by the British between Sa'id's two sons: Oman came under Thuwayni's rule (185666), while Zanzibar went to Majid (reigned 185670). In Zanzibar, the Bu Sa'idis remained in power even under the British protectorate (18901963) but were overthrown in 1964 when Zanzibar was incorporated into the United Republic of Tanzania. In Oman, an opposition movement that was organized in the mountains in 1901 by 'Isa ibn Salih threatened the Bu Sa'idis until a treaty, known as the Treaty of As-Sib (Sept. 25, 1920), was signed between Imam 'Isa ibn Salih and Sultan Taymur ibn Faysal (reigned 191332), by virtue of which Sultan Taymur ruled over the coastal provinces and Imam 'Isa over the interior. Opposition broke out again in 1954 when the tribes appealed to Saudi Arabia for aid in establishing an independent principality, but Sultan Sa'id ibn Taymur (reigned 193270) was able to put down the rebellion with British aid. In the mid-1960s a Marxist-led rebellion broke out in the southern Dhofar region; this and other concerns eventually prompted the ouster of Sultan Sa'id by his son, Qabus ibn Sa'id (reigned 1970 ). Qabus began the first programs to modernize Oman's infrastructure, social programs, and government bureaucracy. In the late 20th century the sultanate encouraged foreign investment, maintained ties with British and American interests, and aligned itself with the moderate Arab powers.