"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٣‎٥‎٧] (١٧٨٢/٥٠٠)

357
year later the thanks of the Imperial Natural History Society of Moscow
for the courtesy shown to their representative were conveyed to the
Shaikh of Bahiain by the Russian Consul-General at Bushehr, who pro
bably welcomed the opportunity afforded of entering into friendly corre
spondence with the Shaikh.
Affairs and foreign relations of Central Arabia, 1899-1905.
Events in Central Arabia, which since the Turkish occupation of Hasa
in 1871 had very little affected the course of Persian Gulf affairs, at length
"
began to make their influence felt again in the Gulf.
About 1891 a great internal revolution had taken place in Central
Arabia by which the whole of Najd had been brought into subjection to
Ibn Rashidj the northern or Shammar Amir, not excluding even the terri
tories of Ibn Sa ^Cid, the southern or Wahhabi Amir, his former over
lord. About 1900 the power of the Wahhabi began to revive, and a
struggle followed into which the Shaikh of Kuwait and the Turkish
Government were drawn, with perceptible and even conspicuous results on
the coast of the Gulf itself. Early in 1901 the Shaikh of Kuwait joined
Ibn Sa'ud in an invasion of the debatable district of Qasim, between
Southern and Northern Najd, which the Wahhabi Amirlwas endeavouring
to wrest from his Shammar rival. The invasion in the end failed ; but
the Shammar Amir, alarmed by its partial success, sought help of the
Porte, whose vassal he professed himself to be. He also applied to the
British Government for protection. The Government of Turkey were in no
wise loath to interfere, and they began by trying to intimidate the Shaikh
of Kuwait into abandonment of Ibn Sard's cause and into submission to
themselves; but their efforts were foiled by British support of the Shaikh.
It was arranged that the Turks should restrain Ibn Rashid from fighting
with Ibn Sa^ud on condition that the British Government on their part
should oblige the Shaikh of Kuwait to remain quiet.
Meanwhile the Wahhabi arms were making rapid progress in Najd, and
by the end of March 1904 Ibn Sa'ud had not only recovered his hereditary
dominions proper but had also possessed himself of Qasim. The Turks
were then tempted into marching from Turkish 'Iraq to the assistance of
Ibn Rashid ; but shortly after their arrival in Qasim they were defeated
by the Wahhabis and retired northwards. Early in 1905 a Turkish force
larger than the first penetrated from Turkish 'Iraq into the neighbourhood
of Qasim ; and in the meantime it had been amicably arranged between the
War between
the Amirs of
Southern and
Northern
Najd.
Turkish
invasion and
short-lived
pacific
occupation of