Quicker than you could say ‘the
Spice Islands are at war’ it was over. 38 minutes after the naval bombardment began
the shortest war in history ended. That’s three times less time than it takes
to reach the capital Stone Town by ferry from the African mainland today.
The British considered the rise
of Khalid bin Barghash to the Sultan’s chair reason enough for war. Only six
years after colonial wrangling during the scramble for Africa resulted in the
Zanzibar archipelago becoming a British protectorate, the Sultan, Hamad bin
Thuwaini, died.
Enamel sign in the House of Wonders museum
The history of rule over the
Zanzibar archipelago roughly 30 km from the coast of Tanzania is a confusing
account of colonialism in Africa. Until the creation of the revolutionary
government in the early years of the 1960s, Zanzibar’s islands had been
governed by a branch of the family of the Sultan of Oman that had decided the
East African coast was a cosier place for a palace or two than the deserts of
Arabia.
Responsible for overseeing the day to
day rule of the islands from his palaces in Stone Town, part of the protectorate deal required
the Sultan's rule to receive the blessing of the British consul. Khalid bin Barghash,
the new Sultan, did not seek permission from the consul, and it seems unlikely
he would have received it if he had. Hamud bin Muhammed was a far more
appropriate choice from the British point of view.
The House of Wonders, now remodelled, survived the shortest war in history largely untouched
The resulting 38 minutes of
battle – a naval bombardment aimed at the royal buildings in Stone Town – left
500 Zanzibari loyalists and one British sailor injured. Surveying the largely
untouched House of Wonders and seventeenth century Omani fort; his
destroyed palace and harem; Sultan Barghash fled to the German consulate, sealing British victory.