Page 263 - Journal of Asian History_Neat

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Mandavii.lk: The Ottoman Province of al-fla.v\ 499
(J|Cir oppression of the poor. This gives encouragement The BanI {J til ill, if it did not ruin Lahsii imme­
irrir) to SaMGn, who is in revolt. ** diately before the conquest/4 \v:us the only local
group seriously to challenge (Ottoman control
The section is brief and several of its words
after. Initially its leader Sa'dun submitted,
ambiguous, but it is tempting to read ajalar here
'as large landowners," and picture (with the aid accepting an appointment :ls district ofiiccr from
the Ottomans. But he seems to have been waiting
of several references to residents of Bahrein hold­
only for a reasonably good chance to seize control.
ing large tracts of land in Katlf) a land tenure
The first attempt came with the defeat of the
pattern made up of a dominant few absentee
Ottoman forces on Bahrein in I553\
Bahrein! landlords and numerous Jxatlfl tenant
farmers. But of course far better documentation (partial summary) To the governor general of Lab&A:
would be needed to substantiate this. Following the defeat of Mu^afu Papa on Bahrein.
\Yhil* the troops of T-ahsft were occasionally Sa’dQn, district officer of 200.000 revolted and
diverted by Portuguese raids and would-be in- claimed tho province of UhsA sa b,s Ho beg.« P«sing
U1V,'‘ J a . . out lands to bedouins (a rdb). OjjmAn, district officer
vasions of Bahrein, their main task was the main- 0( *UyQn and in charge of the province in the absence of
tcn&nce of peACC and order within the province the governor general, and the acting defUrdar IJuseyn,
itself, its defense against rebellion. Infrequently were seized while negotiating withSa'dGn and had to be
the rebels were the troops themselves, but such ransomed for 600,000 afc;«. Sa dOn continued to consoli-
j i .i . date his position, seizing Mubarraz and making it his
garrison revolts as there were posed no real threat beadquilr£;. He claimedth.i he intended .implyVouk.
to Ottoman sovereignty. Such a threat was cur- over the area gradually, leaving the fort (Isolated!. But
ected however by the paramount clan of the BanI now he is threatening to take the fort. Troops are badly
Halid tribe, the 'Al Humeyd, and its leader needed from Basra. . . .•»
Sa'dun. Other tribes whose properties were
Order was restored with the arrival of fresh
affected by the Ottoman conquest also harassed
troops and the new governor general. In the en­
the settlements of the province, but none of these
suing inquiry into the causes of the revolt several
raids or risings are treated in the documents with
officers, among them the district officer of 'UyQn,
the alarm reserved for the threats of the BanI '0§m£n, were charged with secret involvement
Halid.**
in the rebellion. 'O^mAn was caught attempting
flight to Hormuz and imprisoned with the others
M M 3:1133, copied 20 Safer 96S/10 November 1560 in the fortress.*4
(. . . re Kallf ncferUrinin 'dydlarx 'ckier 'acem ’olmuadur Sa'dun remained at large. Nothing is heard of
fukardya vulmtlin tcmdml ydJfdur . . .).
” There was, after all, uuly one military aja in him for another fifteen years in the documents.
h'ap/, the commander of the Rat If Volunteers Regi­ We are left to surmise what his activities were
ment. during this period. As the following document
M Note, e g., the rising in 1567 of Muhammed b. indicates, his district was, following the rebellion,
Ra$Id in collusion with 'All A&a, the commander of the given to his brother. The document is dated in
Labsi Volunteers (M7:1419, 16 ZK 975/29 August, 1568). May of 1575.
Muhammed b.Rapid was dispossessed of his property in
And control of Cabrln in 1559. (M 3:1414, 25 ZK 967/26 (summary] To the governor general of LahsA (Tly&s]:
August 1560). Might "Ibn Rapid” refer to the Al Rapid Sa'dQn, one of the bedouin ('urbdn) feyhUr, has written
branch of the KathLr, a small tribe now located on the that he has long remained in the desert not approaching
north-eastern fringes of the Rub al-Khali? The dis­
possession of his properties seems to run contrary to the m According to tradition, 'Acwad b. Zimil 'Al CabrI
. issued to the governor general the year before upon of the Kays ruled Lal^aA at the time. See Philby. Saudi
ppointment to his post; he was not to interfere with Arabia, pp. 11-12, relying upon Ibn Bishr’s % Unwin
* n> jtyhM or chiefs of tribes who made submission to the al-.\(ajd.
'Uly*'V<1 ’<L:erc')> M 3:367» “M 3:1146, 23 $a’bin 967/19 May 1560.
• x/6/1 °ctob€r ^ the document of disposses- •• M 3:1633 , 20 Safer 968/10 November 1560. What
Q, Muhammed b.Rapid is described as having sub- the involvement was is not stated; perhaps it was a
routed.
division of the ransom money?