Page 111 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

their allies.914 The shaykh of Abu Zabi allegedly had spies in al-Hasa, and thus
made extensive defensive preparations by stationing tribesmen in al-Zafrah,
between Liwa’ oasis and the coast, to intercept any force coming from al-
Hasa.915 Upon learning of Ibn Tahnun’s precautionary measures, Sultan b.
Saqr and Maktum tried to save the expedition by sending a messenger to warn
Sa‘d b. Mutlaq that he should take another route and be more cautious in his
march.916 It turned out that the messenger was unable to make contact with
Sa‘d and his force in the desert; consequently, the expedition was ambushed at
al-‘Anikah, west of al-Burayml.917 Some of the Su‘udls, including ‘Abd al-
Rahman b. ‘Azzaz, the qadi of Thadiq who had been accompanying the
expedition, were killed in the ambush, while others died of thirst.918 The
survivors, including Sa‘d b. Mutlaq himself, made their way to Dubayy, and
then to al-Shariqah.919 I
From his base in al-Shariqah, Sa‘d prepared for another attempt to recover
al-Buraymi. Joined by Sultan b. Saqr and Maktum, who furnished their own
troops, Sa‘d moved towards al-Burayml and besieged Ibn Tahnun and
his supporters.920 The popularity of Ibn Tahnun had already begun to
dwindle. Sayf b. Humud of Suhar withdrew his support from Ibn Tahnun,
and some of the tribes in al-Burayml fell out with him as well.921 Nonetheless,
Ibn Tahnun managed to resist and maintain his position for nearly two
months.922 Later, in February 1849, as a result of negotiations made between
the Su‘udis and Sa‘id b. Tahnun through the envoy of Muhammad b. ‘Awn,
sharif of Makkah, Ibn Tahnun was obliged to hand over al-Burayml to the
Su‘udls.923
The sharif of Makkah was apparently interested in the prospect for Su‘udl
control over the region for economic reasons. Faysal, who is said to have
pledged the payment of an annual tribute to the Ottoman Sultan through the
sharif of Makkah, had probably stopped payment on account of the trouble in
his dependencies in ‘Uman, as well as for simple lack of revenue; this situation
brought about the sharifs aforementioned mediation.924 The peaceful
settlement did not, however, deter Ibn Tahnun from pursuing further
activities against the Su‘udis in al-Buraymi. In the following year he made
several unsuccessful attempts to oust them from the area—once with the
support of the ruler of Masqat and, on other occasions, by exploiting local
resentment.925
In the meantime, the career of Sa‘d b. Mutlaq as Su‘udi governor and
commander of the troops in ‘Uman came to an end. His disastrous defeat at
al-‘Anikah the previous year seems to have contributed to his downfall. His !
poor performance in that battle annoyed Amir Faysal, lowered Sa‘d’s prestige
in the eyes of the people of ‘Uman, and generally weakened the Su‘udi grip
that region.926 Sa‘d was recalled to al-Riyad and dismissed from his post.927
Sa‘d’s successor faced great difficulty in rehabilitating Su‘udi-‘Umani
relations, partly on account of his high-handed manner in dealing with the
regional chiefs and partly due to the lack of sufficient manpower in the garrison
to discourage dissent and changes of loyalty.928 Such conditions again enabled
Sa‘id b. Tahnun to carry out an attack against the Su‘udi garrison, and this
time he forced them to turn over the forts of al-Buraymi to the local tribes.929
The deterioration of the Su‘udi presence in ‘Uman, together with the
conflict with al-Bahrayn, forced Amir Faysal, in early 1851, to make a major
effort in restoring his relations with those regions in order to recover his in-

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