'Extracts from Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia by J G Lorimer CIE, Indian Civil Service' [‎55r] (114/180)

99
Proceedings of the Amir Turki in Eastern Arabia, 1824^34.
[pp. 1094-6]
Under Turki the Wahhabis regained for a time their former position of
influence in Eastern Arabia, and by 1833 the whole coast of the Gulfs of 'Oman and
Persia as far north as Qatif owned their sovereignty, or at least their suzerainty,
and payed tribute.
One of the first objects that i urki set himself to accomplish after his accession Wahhabi
was the recovery of the province of Hasa, which had been retained by the Bani recon q ue st
Khalid Shaikhs since their installation by the Egyptians in 1819. From 1824 to
1830 the contest remained undecided, but in the latter year, as related in the history
of Hasa, the Bani Khalid finally succumbed to the forces of the Amir; in the
conclusive battle, fought at Wabrah, the Wahhabis were led by Turki and'his son
Faisal in person. In 1831, encouraged by the rebellion of Mashari, the Bani
Khalid ventured to attack Hofuf and Qatif; but they were repulsed.
Strong in possession of Hasa, the Amir in 1930 demanded tribute of the Wahhabi
Shaikh of Bahrain; and in 1831 the Shaikh, fearing a combination between the relati ons with
Saiyid of Masqat and the Wahhabis, of which there were symptoms, admitted the
obligation to pay. The settlement, however, was far from being of a cordial or
permanent character on either side; the Wahhabis on their part endeavoured to
establish Bashir, a son of the pirate Rahmah-bin-Jabir, at Dammam as a check
upon the 'Utub of Bahrain; and the Shaikh of those islands, as soon as he dared,
which was not until 1833 after the departure of Bashir, repudiated his agreement
and incited the Bani Khalid to annoy the Wahhabis in Hasa. There is some reason
to think that the assassination of the Amir Turki by Mashari in 1834 was instigated
by the Bahrain Shaikh, to whom it was at least highly agreeable, and by whom,
before that event, war had been declared and the ports of Qatif and 'Oqair
blockaded from the sea.
No sooner was Turki firmly seated on the throne of Najd than the more restless Wahhabi
among the chiefs of what is now Trucial 'Oman began to cultivate his good graces, influence
especially the Shaikhs of Sharjah and 'Ajman. Tn 1825 the Qasimi Shaikh of i" Tr _ ucial
Sharjah secretly professed great fear of the Wahhabis and solicited a promise of 1824^1834.
British assistance in case a refusal by him to comply with the desires of the Amir
should bring him into trouble; no assurance, however, was given; but the Shaikh
was strongly advised by the British authorities to refrain from joining in any
movement against the Saiyid of Masqat.
The appearance of the Wahhabis on the coast of Hasa in 1830 gave rise to a
fresh commotion in Trucial 'Oman, and their probable advent was anticipated with
delight by the Shaikhs of 'Ajman and Umm-al-Qaiwain, who hoped with their help
to throw off the suzerainty of the Qasimi Shaikh, while by the latter it was naturally
regarded with apprehension. The Shaikh of Sharjah once more sought British
support, of which no hope was held out to him; and the Shaikh of 'Ajman, perhaps
remembering the days when Husain-bin-'Ali of Rams had lorded it over the country
in the name of the Wahhabi Amir, begged Turki for a commission as Wahhabi
agent. This last request was prudently refused by the Amir, on the ground that he
could recognise no chiefs in 'Oman except the Shaikh of Sharjah and the Saiyid of
Masqat only; but later he made the Shaikh of 'Ajman the medium of a friendly
communication from himself to the British Government.
Relations between the Wahhabi Amir and the Saiyid of Masqat were, owing Wahhabi
to the great distance intervening between their frontiers, but slowly resumed. The relations_ with
initiative seems to have been taken by the Saiyid, who in 1831 despatched an embassy sulta^Se 11
with presents to Riyadh to request the assistance of the Amir in reducing Bahrain, 1824-183 '4.
a proceeding that Turki turned to his own advantage in order to extort submission
and tribute from the Shaikh of Bahrain. In 1833 the direct pressure of the
Wahhabis was felt once more in the 'Oman Sultanate, and in that year the ruler
of Masqat was obliged to come to an understanding with the Wahhabi general,
Sa'ad-bin-Mutlaq, the principal terms of the settlement being that the Saiyid should
pay $5,000 a year as Zakat or tribute to the Amir, and that either party should assist
the other in suppressing rebellions among his subjects. The latter clause of the
agreement was deemed imprudent by the British authorities; but the Saiyid assured
them that he would be guided, in his observance of it, entirely by their wishes.
48533 p