‘Persian Gulf Gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Precis of Turkish expansion on the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf and Hasa [Al-Hasa] and Katif [Al-Qaṭīf] affairs.’ [‎65] (77/160)

65
i™Ii'ITr" r i e r ra V ,fa " <i ', ,f t ' le 0tto man possessions hereabouts), of whom it is
e iJ that he intends calling in there and using his influence in spite of th« urotestaton
Kl, f ® T ^ , ?. bass!l 1 <Ic "; at Constantinople that the Trncial Chiefs (of which Esau-ibin
Khuleefah is one) shall not be interfered with.
aforl 0 .wTfl t Vf he fr Sl T^ Aba f 1,B ' afte ^ he,i S ht With his htr,thn Paood, (reported in
? f °™? r ,et ' e ' ) fled to the Turks, who were his proclaimed ijllies. but latterly he seems to
^, u ®' e 4 them and has S 1 ™ 0 them the slip, in the hope of uniting the Arab tribes in
regard the Turk's 1,01111 a Sa lu st the invading ** Heretics " as they, being strict Wababees,
The idea evidently having forced itself on bis mind that the Turks intend makinff a
permanent settlement in the country, I cannot but regard as intentional a eironmstanco that
occurred the other day Ihe Turk Commodore when he arrived at Bahrein hoisted the Turkish
flag' and saluted ifc with 21 guns. I regarded this as an act of sovemgnty. I distinctly saw
that it was the Turkish flag, and suggested to Colonel Pelly that the question should be asW
'who the sa ute wa« intended for." The Commodore explained that having no "Arab " flaff
on board he had used his own, being the nearest in appearance to it, and that the salute was
in honor of the Arab forts. This explanation could not well be taken exception with but it
shows there is a tendency to assert the Otttoman authority in these waters,—who ever 'thought
of saluting an Arab mud fort half ruined with 21 guns ; five guns is the usual Arab ealute—
three guns for smaller Chiefs.
The belligerents before the Turks appeared on the scene were represented bv thp brntW-
Abd'alla and Saood, sons of the late Chief u Fasur'—tbe independent tribes siding
with one brother or the othpr, they fought for the Chieftainship with varied success. The
Wababee territory is a considerable portion of Central Arabia called " Nejid propei lv speak
ing they have no sea-board. Yet the province of Hassa with the sea ports oi Katiff and
Ojair, such as they are (you can hardly get within sight of them, too shoal) acknowledged their
sway till the Turks came. A true Arab, it would seem, loves war for its own sake. There are
of course, many commercial and trading Arabs especially the coast inhabitants; but the nobler
tribes hold them in contempt. Saif-bin-Ali, I can fancy, expressed but the feelings of
himself and his people without exaggeration when at a protracted war council he cut all argu
ment short by saying—" Blood is man's only dye, and war like the manna and quails is "as
• "IiDains and Syeds of Oman," by G. P. Badger, U f' + i ■^' V f Z 10 a l so that, with
F.R.C.S. ^ res P eGt to the Wahabees. there may be some
, , , , . amount of personal feeling. The Turks undoubtedlv
feel they have a score to settle with them. The Wahabees (I think under Abd'alla oreat
grandfather of the present man, at the beginning of this century, but I have no books 'to refer
to. I have only at various times been able to peep into books, which 1 have been oblio-ed to
return, and trust to memory, which I find has not improved under the boilino- process of the
last year) captured a Mecca/'plundered the pilgrims, its inhabitants and its mosque and
defiled the sacred ^Cauba," plundered and turned back the caravan of the then reio-nina' Sultan
of Turkey's sister who was making the sacred pilgrimage. ^ b
The Wahabees hate pilgrimages and don't respect Mecca. Mr. Palgrave, in his Central
and Eastern Arabia," describes them as Puritans that move about with a sanctimonicus
face and demeanour, allowing of neither smoking, laughing, drinking of wine, or silk thread
in the ornamentation of their garments, whose only source of lawful enjoyment and recreations
must be found in women, fighting, and praying.
The Turk Army is, at present, at Lahsa ; there is the fearful desert of " Nufeidz " before
t The Wababee Capital; it is spelt in several ,f e ^ ch . ' <R jaz" f (Rujadh), the chief
different ways. * object or their invasion. How they will prosper
, • , . t j •i i i ^ mG sbovv. I am sorry I am not in a position
to give more ^rtain detailed and acconnte, and trust that yon will m ake every allowance for
detects—the absence of any book of reference, the trust that one has to place in memory, in
? re kut little certain to go upon, and with no time for a referred revisal.
1 hurry this iGttGr off. Dot wishing to miss tho mail,
25 ^ t A f Tf 1 ! CQckbum in submitting Commander Doughty's report,
writes (No. 2, dated 2nd January 1872)—
" Although I do not suppose the Turks wiH be able permanently to control these inde-
pendent chiefs, I think they will be the cause of much bloodshed, injure the peaceful pursuits
of those thus inclined and will have a certain effect upon the Moslem, not only iu Arabia but
er -J t0r ^ ln r India) '. T ^ M oslem is evidently beginning to think he may igain
i ^ Wer ' 110 in uro P 0 m Asia > an d I am strongly of opinion that the Rus and Turk
work with an agreement of purpose." c xiub auu iutk
the P^an Gulf-^ WaS enclosed a return of Turkish ships of war stationed in
[C967EDj

‘Persian Gulf Gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Precis of Turkish expansion on the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf and Hasa [Al-Hasa] and Katif [Al-Qaṭīf] affairs.’ [‎65] (77/160)

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‘Persian Gulf Gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Precis of Turkish expansion on the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf and Hasa [Al-Hasa] and Katif [Al-Qaṭīf] affairs.’ [‎65] (77/160)

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