Sa'id ibn Sultan

or Sa'id Sayyid

(born 1791, Oman—died Oct. 19, 1856, at sea) Ruler of Muscat and Oman and of Zanzibar (1806–56). He made Zanzibar the principal power in East Africa and the commercial capital of the western Indian Ocean. Under Sa'id, Zanzibar caravans were sent into central Africa to extract ivory, slaves, and other products. In 1822 he forbade his subjects to sell slaves to European traders. From 1828 he developed the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba into the world's largest clove producers, and he built up a large navy that helped expand his commercial interests.

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