# Abdallah I Takes Anjouan's Throne (1782)

URL: https://allhistories.com/comoros/timeline/1782-abdallah-i-takes-anjouan-s-throne
Location: Mutsamudu, Anjouan
Themes: main-event

For almost three centuries Domoni, on Anjouan's east coast, had been the capital of the island's sultans, with its old Shirazi mosques and royal tombs. Mutsamudu, on the north-west coast, had meanwhile grown rich as the anchorage used by European ships and the island's main trading port. After the death of Said Ahmed in 1782, Abdallah I became sultan. He ruled from 1782 to 1788 and again from 1792 to 1796. Domoni remained the capital until the end of the eighteenth century, and tradition credits the transfer of the royal seat to Mutsamudu to the sultans of this period; Domoni itself was badly damaged around 1780. At Mutsamudu the sultans built the palace of Ujumbé in the heart of the medina, where they resided until 1909, and Abdallah fortified the town against Malagasy raiders. The move confirmed Mutsamudu as the political as well as commercial centre of Anjouan, close to the ships that brought wealth and weapons. It remains the island's capital today. Abdallah's reign also saw the end of half a century of Anjouani attempts to conquer Mayotte, as the threat from Madagascar grew. At this point in the timeline (1782), the Sultan tibe (paramount ruler) of Ngazidja was Mla Nau (tibe II; undated (est. c. 1770 – c. 1790)); the Sultan of Anjouan (Ndzuwani) was Abdallah I of Anjouan (1782 – 1788 (1st reign)); the Sultan of Mayotte (Maore) was Bwana Kombo I (1752 – 1790).

## Why it matters
It made Mutsamudu, the island's port, the seat of Anjouan's sultans and its capital to this day.

Ruler at the Time: [Mla Nau](https://allhistories.com/comoros/rulers/mla-nau)

Sultan of Anjouan (Ndzuwani): Abdallah I of Anjouan
Sultan of Mayotte (Maore): Bwana Kombo I

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Abdallah I of Anjouan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdallah_I_of_Anjouan)
- [Wikipedia — Domoni](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domoni)
- [French Wikipedia — Mutsamudu](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutsamudu)
- [Wikipedia — List of sultans in the Comoro Islands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sultans_in_the_Comoro_Islands)