Page 112 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

.v \\\ 'Xv >.il moved from nl-Qaflf to Qatar, where he set up camp and began
o vV.b. with the problems involved. He concluded an agreement with the
v.v w ’ o;.d Ri^ravn, arrived at a good understanding with Sa‘id b. Tahnun of
\>. and won the fhaykhs of the coast to his side. He then wrote to the
R . n *. Resident in the Gulf to confirm his authority over the maritime tribes
. v subsequently returned toal-Riyad. 930
in March 1853, after a Su‘udl punitive expedition against
e c vents of Redouin tribes near Qatar, Faysal equipped his son ‘Abd Allah
• :h a small force and sent him to al-Burayml, a site of sporadic internal
c.rssca:. in order to ascertain whether all was well there.931 The positive
irr.rac? shown by the chiefs of al-Burayml and the maritime areas, who made
tv' meet 'Abd Allah and give him their support, convinced ‘Abd Allah
:'.a: the existing alliance between the Su‘udl state and those various parts of
v.ir. was genuine; therefore, he returned to al-Riyad after staying for only a
5. rt period in al-Burayml.932
Abe Allah’s visit, which coincided with the expiration of a ten years’ truce,
reactivated British fears that a maritime alliance with the Su‘udls would
eriirger the maritime agreement with the British and ultimately threaten
r»:± Masqat and British trade. The Government of India therefore pressured
He Resident in the Gulf into establishing a maritime truce. The Resident
rtly proceeded to the coast, assembled the shayklis, negotiated the terms
e truce and had them sign it on the spot in the first week of May 1853. 933
■-race, which became known as the Perpetual Treaty of Peace, bound the
e chiefs, as well as their heirs and successors, to observe a lasting and
izvi:l2ble peace from this time onward by completely refraining from
mari±ne hostility.934 In addition, the treaty permanently established Britain
l*; raarantor of maritime peace between the various principalities.935 Though
:t rurbsd the incidence of clashes between subscribing members, the treaty did
:er their relations with the Su‘udl state. Resident Kemball reported in
- . 4.
that although the principalities on the coast were independent, they
ledged the supremacy of the Su‘udi amir. Such acknowledgement
rev. bred the shaykhs of the coast to provide military aid for Su‘udi expeditions
a; to furnish supplies to the Su‘udi troops in ‘Uman. 936
bfr.ee the British treaty was mainly directed toward activity on the seaways
ar. b in the ports, the Su‘udls focused their attention on the interior of
Train.937 The nature of their activity depended on present circumstances,
bat their primary intention was to strengthen their own position and preserve
in the area. This intention was evident when, in 1854, Sa‘Id b. Tahnun of
Aba ZabJ renounced his responsibility for the Manasir tribe, who had carried
a.* raids against the settlements in ai-Zafrah.938 This event led Ahmad al-
b idayri, the Su‘udf governor in al-Burayml, to organize a successful
expedition against the tribe; this helped to curb their predatory activities and
brought peace to the area.939
In th<: late 1850s, TurkI al-Sudayrl succeeded his father as governor in
T'rnan. While our sources describe his role in connection with the ruler of
Masqat ''which v/e will deal with elsewhere), they give no information
regarding his activities in al-Burayml and the coast. They also reveal little
about the state of Su‘udl relations with the chiefs and tribes of these regions.
One therefore tends to assume, in light of the events in Masqat, that Su udi
relations with al-Buraymi and the coast continued to be good for the folowing
fev/ years.
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