Page 108 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

1

suspension, of the local rule they had been enjoying for the past few years.
Consequently, they tried to prevent such an incursion.
Not having sufficient power to resist the impending Su‘udl advance,
Humud b. Surur and Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah, the two chiefs of the Nu‘aym
tribe in al-Buraymi, sought help from other sources. They wrote to the British
Resident in the Gulf, “intimating their belief that Ameer Fysul purposes
sending a force to subdue Oman, and soliciting the aid of the British
Government to repel it”.870 The chiefs might have been prompted to request
British aid by the conviction that the British authorities had some obligation to
protect the region from external invasion. A few years before, in 1839, the
British had taken a strong stand against the Egyptian attempts to annex
al-Buraymi to Najd and went as far as to place the tribes of the oasis under
British protection.871 This time, however, Humud and Muhammad received a
disappointing reply. They were told that the policy of protecting the
independence of al-Buraymi referred solely to the advance of the Egyptian
troops and that the British government had no desire to interfere in the internal
affairs of Arabia at that time.872
Possibly because of the chiefs’ contact with the Resident, and more likely
because of his recognition of Britain’s prominence and strength in the Gulf,
Faysal despatched a letter to the Resident announcing his resumption of
government in Najd and al-Hasa. He also expressed his hope for the renewal of
friendly Su‘udl-British relations.873 British authorities responded in a friendly
manner, reminding him that their mision in the region was to suppress
maritime plundering and secure the safety of the people and their trades and
expressing the hope that Faysal would actively cooperate with these
intentions.874
Meanwhile, Faysal’s energies were being absorbed by domestic affairs in
al-Hasa and al-Qatlf and by his involvement in quarrels with the shaykhs of
al-Bahrayn.875 He therefore gave no further indication of advancing upon
al-Buraymi and the coast of ‘Uman until the beginning of 1845. In January of
that year, Faysal sent Sa‘d b. Mutlaq to al-Buraymi with a Su‘udl force of 700
men, accompanied by Nasir al-‘Urayni as qadi.876 They set out from al-Hasa
and arrived at al-Buraymi in early February.877 The Su‘udl force, by no means
considerable, planned no immediate military action. The messengers and
intelligence which preceded Sa‘d’s march reported no sign of hostility or
dissatisfaction among the tribes along the route or among the people of
al-Buraymi. What the force wanted to do was display the strength of the Su‘udl
force and discourage any resistance to it.878 Upon arriving at al-Buraymi, Sa‘d
b. Mutlaq was received warmly and hospitably. The chiefs of the coast, as well
as the Nu‘aym and Zawahir tribes, allied themselves with Sa‘d and delivered to
him the forts of al-Buraymi, where he stationed his garrison and made his
headquarters.879
However, this demonstration of alliance and cooperation did not last very
long.880 The chiefs of those localities had directed their own affairs for years,
and the tribesmen had not been subjected to financial exactions, such as the
formal annual payment of money or its equivalent. Sa‘d, on the other hand,
engaging in continual activities to strengthen and expand Su‘udl domains,
collected the funds and troops necessary for the achievement of his objectives.
He invaded part of the territory belonging to Masqat, provoking the hostility
of both the British Resident and the ‘UmanI tribesmen in the area.881 Sa'd’s

104