Page 105 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

agreed to allow ‘All b. Khalifah to resume his authority over al-Bid‘, while the
rest of Qatar apparently remained under Su‘udl control. Nonetheless, before
his return to Najd, Faysal installed the sons of ‘Abd Allah b. Ahmad at
al-Dammam, and put them under his protection.845 Their presence irritated
the ruler of al-Bahrayn, who regarded their presence as a threat to his regime,
but he was in no position to appeal to Faysal for their removal or to violate the
terms of the settlement.
For the next few years, Su'udl-Bahrayni relations were outwardly peaceful,
and the Su‘udi representative appeared in the island annually to collect
zakah.846 Meanwhile, the ruler of al-Bahrayn, eager to be rid of Su‘udi
influence, sought possible ways to achieve his objective. He had been led to
believe that ‘Abbas Pasha of Egypt, because of his long-standing relations with
(and alleged nominal supremacy over) the amir of Najd, would be able to
pressure Faysal into desisting from further activity against al-Bahrayn.
Muhammad b. Khalifah therefore wrote to ‘Abbas Pasha concerning this
matter. In the spring of 1853, ‘Abbas Pasha despatched an envoy named Bahjat
Agha Effendi to the Gulf for the purpose of purchasing horses there.847 Bahjat
Effendl stayed for some time at Masqat and bought a few horses. He then sailed
to al-Bahrayn for the same reason.848 Upon arriving at the island, the effendl
delivered a letter from his master expressing his desire to obtain a number of
highly-bred horses in the possession of Muhammad b. Khalifah. After a
ceremonial reception and the fulfillment of the pasha’s desire, a discussion
took place between the effendl and the ruler of al-Bahrayn. The latter
complained and requested that the Egyptian pasha help him
to be freed from the control of Bin Saood and I wish him to locate the
parties [the rival branch of the Al Khalifah] whom he placed at Demaum
[Dammam] on some other spot. Abbas Pasha is defendent of Turkish
Government and soon I. Should therefore ben Saood make any hostile
movement I will attack him from this quarter. 849
The effendi told Muhammad b. Khalifah that he would acquaint ‘Abbas
Pasha with the facts of the case upon his return to Egypt but did not promise
any action on the part of his master. While the visit of the Egyptian emissary to
al-Bahrayn produced no actual advantage since Egypt was neither in a position
to help al-Bahrayn nor to restrain Faysal, Muhammad b. Khallfah’s approach
to the Egyptians infuriated Faysal and adversely affected Su‘udi-Bahrayni
relations.850
In the following year, the Su‘udi authorities at al-Qatif incited the rival
branch of the Al Khalifah residing at al-Dammam to invade al-Bahrayn and
unseat its ruler. They hastily prepared ships and 2,000 fighting men composed
mainly of the Al Bin ‘All and Al Bu ‘Aynayn tribes; al-Bahrayn was attacked
but not captured.851 The preparation and the attack surprised not only the
Bahraynis but also the British authorities in the area. They blamed their native
agent for not having noticed any preparations being made while he was at
al-Qatif two days prior to the incident.852 The attack caused the Resident to
sail to al-Bahrayn with British warships to deter further developments. British
interference and apparent determination to prevent direct Su‘udi control over
al-Bahrayn irritated Faysal, who sent a letter to the Resident expressing his
protest against British action, reasserting his own authority over the island,
and explaining that the Al Khalifah of al-Bahrayn were his subjects.853

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