Page 117 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

matter. Wanting to prevent a military confrontation, the British compelled
him to return to Masqat and forced a fragile truce between the two brothers.976
The dispute between Thuwayni and Majid was finally settled in 1860 by the
arbitration of the British government, which decided that the ruler of Zanzibar
should pay the ruler of Masqat a yearly sum of $MT 40,000, without prejudice
to the complete independence of the former.977
The partition of the ‘Uman! empire through the establishment of two
independent states diminished the prosperity and prestige of‘Uman, leading
to the political disintegration of the ruling house and to the fall of the unified
maritime commerce which, for many years, had provided ‘Uman with large
shares of trade and revenues.978
During the period of dispute and negotiation which resulted in the
independence of Zanzibar, Turkl b. Sa‘Id, the governor of Suhar, had been
watching events closely and nursing an ambition to follow Majid’s lead in
asserting his independence. However, it was not until the summer of 1861,
following the termination of the Zanzibar affair, that Turkl openly defied
Thuwaynl’s authority and declared his own sovereingty over Suhar. 979
Thuwaynl’s reply to this challenge was prompt and successful; he seized
Turkl, put him in prison, and then attacked and took Suhar.980
Soon after Thuwayni had brought Suhar under direct control, his authority
faced a more serious challenge in the same district. Dwindling revenues had
forced him to revoke a tax exemption that had previously been granted to the
Al Sa‘d tribe, the largest in the district of al-Batinah.981 Encouraged by Qays b.
‘Azzan and his followers, the tribe was provoked into revolting against
Thuwayni’s rule.982 They besieged and took al-Suwayq and al-Khaburah,
killing the governor of the former, Hilal b. Muhammad of the Al Bu Sa‘Id
family.983 It was a year before the rebels’ demands were accommodated; the
government of Masqat came to terms with the principal heads of the tribe and
the tax exemption was again granted to them. 984
Throughout this period of change within the dynasty of the Al Bu Sa‘Id, the
Su‘udis watched from a distance, and considered the events as purely internal
Masqat! affairs. However, when hostility again broke out between Thuwayni
and ‘Azzan b. Qays toward the end of 1864, the Su‘udls were compelled to
enter into the fray and, as a result, entered into a military confrontation with
the ruler of Masqat.
In December of 1864, ‘Azzan, the governor of al-Rustaq, revoked against
Thuwayni.985 The latter, in retaliation, mounted a loyalist expedition against
al-Rustaq.986 Fearing himself unable to withstand Thuwaynl’s onslaught,
‘Azzan called on Turk! al-Sudayrl, the Su‘udi governor in al-Burayml, pledged
allegiance to the Su‘udl state, and appealed for assistance. Al-Sudayr! provided
him with a small contingent which joined ‘Azzan’s own forces and succeeded in
deterring Thuwaynl’s attack, forcing him to return to Masqat. 987
Upset by this last development and by growing tribal opposition in general,
Thuwayni accused al-Sudayrl of intriguing with the tribes to curb his own
authority. He complained to Amir Faysal and suggested that their differences
and conflicts of interest be mediated through the British Resident in the
Gulf.988 Thuwaynl’s reference to the Resident indicates his reliance on and
confidence in the support of the British.
At the same time, Thuwayni was contemplating a bolder design to resist
further pressures. Through Colonel Disbrowe, the political agent at Masqat,

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