# Abushiri Revolt Against German Rule on the Coast (1888 – 1890)

URL: https://allhistories.com/oman/timeline/1888-abushiri-revolt-against-german-rule-on-the-coast
Location: Pangani, Tanzania
Themes: main-event

On 28 April 1888 Sultan Khalifah bin Said leased the coastal strip to the German East Africa Company. The company's administrator imposed land registration rules and levies and placed the sultan's former officials under company control on much lower salaries. The revolt began when Emil von Zelewski tried to raise the company flag over Pangani. It was led by Abushiri ibn Salim al-Harthi, a plantation owner who gained support from Arab and Swahili communities and local Africans, then spread south. In January 1889 Chancellor Otto von Bismarck appointed Hermann Wissmann as Reichskommissar, and German and British navies imposed a blockade. Abushiri was captured and executed on 15 December 1889. Resistance continued: Bwana Heri surrendered in early 1890 and the Yao chief Machemba held out until May 1891. On 1 January 1891 the imperial government took over the territory. Early German accounts called the revolt an Arab Rebellion, but later historians argue it reflected a struggle over Omani power on the coast. At this point in the timeline (1888), Faisal bin Turki (1888 – 1913) was Sultan of Muscat and Oman, after the 1856 division of the Al Bu Said domains between Muscat and Zanzibar; Khalifa bin Said (1888 – 1890) was Sultan of Zanzibar.

## Why it matters
The revolt was the last great stand of the Omani-era coastal order against European colonial rule in East Africa.

Ruler at the Time: [Faisal bin Turki](https://allhistories.com/oman/rulers/faisal-bin-turki)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Abushiri revolt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abushiri_revolt)
- [Wikipedia — Khalifah bin Said of Zanzibar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalifah_bin_Said_of_Zanzibar)
- [Wikipedia — Sultanate of Zanzibar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Zanzibar)