John and Jenny Fulton

Real International Princesses: Omani Princess Sayyida

By Jenny Fulton

Introduction

My book, An International Princess Alphabet Primer, features princesses from countries and cultures around the world. Each character is named after a real person. These are their stories.

Because the alphabet book was written for young kids, the biographies I’m sharing are short, child-friendly, often rose-tinted summaries.

Omani Princess Sayyida

Omani Princess Sayyida is named for Sayyida Salme, the author of Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar.

This Arabian princess was born on August 30, 1844, in Zanzibar. Her dad, Said bin Sultan, was the Sultan of Oman (a country in the Middle East). Since the Omani empire had spread to include Zanzibar, an island off the eastern coast of Africa, Salme’s dad was also the Sultan of Zanzibar.

Princess Salme was the youngest child in her family and grew up in a palace where over 1,000 people lived. Her brother Majid taught her how to ride a horse and shoot. But Salme wanted to learn other skills as well. Although girls in her culture weren’t taught how to read or write, Salme really wanted to know how. So, she secretly took a copy of the Koran, copied the letters, and taught herself.    

In 1856, when Salme was 12 years old, her dad died. This brought about many several changes. The Omani empire was split between two of Salme’s brothers. Thuwaini became the Sultan of Oman while Majid was crowned the Sultan of Zanzibar. Though still a child, it was decided that Salme was old enough to receive her inheritance from her dad. This included a big house, lots of land, and a lot of money.

Three years later, when Salme was 15 years old, her mom died. The young princess received another inheritance that included three more houses with lots of land. Sadly, that same year, relationships among the Salme’s siblings became really bad. Another brother, Barghash, wanted to be the Sultan of Zanzibar instead of Majid. Although Salme liked Majid better, her favorite sister made her help Barghash. Since she could read and write, Salme became Barghash’s secretary.

When Barghash was defeated, Salme went to live at one of her houses. Sultan Majid and other family who supported him eventually let Salme return to live in Stone Town with them, but they never completely trusted her again.

Salme was lonely. Part of her family didn’t like her because she’d helped Barghash, but Barghash and her favorite sister didn’t like her because she’d returned to Majid. With so much conflict in her family, Salme became friends with the Europeans who lived in in Stone Town. 

When Salme was 21, she met a 26 year old German merchant named Rudolph Ruete. They soon fell in love. A year later, when Salme discovered that Sultan Majid still wanted to punish her for helping Barghash, Rudolph and a British captain helped her escape. Once she was safely away from Zanzibar, Salme became a Christian, married Rudoph, and changed her name to Emily Ruete. They moved to Germany and had three children.

When Rudolph died, Salme discovered that, unlike her culture, women in Europe weren’t allowed to own houses and land. Desperate to take care of herself and her children, Salme wrote her book, Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar. It was published in Germany, the United States, and Britain and is the first known autobiography written by an Arab and East African woman. Salme spent the rest of her life traveling between Germany, Britain, and Zanzibar. She spoke to European kings and queens about her experiences and did her best to help people who were hurting, especially young children.  

The founder and manager of the Princess Salme Museum in Zanzibar recently said Sayyida Salme was a “a pioneer in terms of cross-cultural commentary and was the first woman to record her observations about the way of life in Germany and Zanzibar.”

Other Princess Bios

Works Cited

“Emily Ruete.” Wikipedia; Accessed Nov. 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Ruete

Mohamud, Naima. “Sayyida Salme: The tragic life of Zanzibar’s rebel princess.” BBC; May 31, 2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47556607

“Princess Emily Ruete.” Oman and Zanzibar Virtual Museum; Accessed Nov. 2024. https://omanisilver.com/contents/en-us/d641.html
 

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