Page 129 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

threatening letter staling his determination to retaliate. The letter read as
follows:
From Abdoola bin Fysul, Imam of the Musselmen, to Syud Azan b. Ghes,
Imam of the robbers. We have heard what you have done. We intend to
pay you a visit with 20,000 men. We hope you will receive us suitably.1070
Expecting ‘Abd Allah to translate his threat into action at summer’s end,
‘Azzan formed an alliance with the shaykh of Abu ZabI, gathered together a
large force, and marched to al-Burayml to prepare a counterattack against the
expected Su‘udl assault.1079
‘Abd Allah, on the other hand, was growing increasingly annoyed by the
affairs at al-Burayml, particularly because Su‘ud, his brother and rival, had
been staying in ‘Uman and might conceivably exploit the situation against
him.1080 He therefore decided to act. From al-Hasa, where he arrived early in
the winter season, ‘Abd Allah began to make plans to restore his authority over
al-Burayml. He marshalled his levies and forces in al-Hasa in preparation for
the coming expedition.1081 At the same time, ‘Abd Allah addressed the
Nu‘aymi chiefs of al-Burayml, inviting them to proclaim their loyalty to the
Su‘udl state and promising to forgive their previous actions. 1082
With the exception of Zayid b. Khallfah, the shaykh of Abu ZabI, who had
very recently been reconciled with ‘Azzan and agreed to support him should
the Su‘udis attempt to recover al-Buraymi, the rest of the shaykhs on the coast
of ‘Uman had either joined in alliance with the Su‘udis or were choosing to
remain neutral. These factors affected ‘Abd Allah’s plans for the prepared
expedition. He had first planned to transport his forces by ship from al-Qatlf
(on the coast of al-Hasa) and from Wakrah (on the coast of Qatar) to land at
some point between Abu ZabI and al-Shariqah on the coast of ‘Uman, from
where they could proceed together with the rest of the land forces into
al-Burayml.1083 This design, however, proved difficult to realize. The British
authorities in the area had sent warships to al-Bahrayn to watch over the
developments there, and had informed Amir ‘Abd Allah of their opposition to
his use of the seaway for the transportation of his troops. To make things even
more difficult for him, the Resident warned the shaykhs on the coast that their
support of the expedition would be regarded as a violation of the maritime
truce.1084
The only alternative for the Su‘udi forces was to take the desert route
through al-Zafrah to al-Burayml. However, due to a lack of rainfall, there was
not enough water or grass to meet the needs of the troops and horses that would
be marching through.1085 Such conditions caused ‘Abd Allah to abandon his
plan and return to al-Riyad. 1086
Not long after his return, ‘Abd Allah met a more serious challenge at home,
for his brother Su‘ud resumed his campaign against him. Ultimately, this led
to ‘Abd Allah’s overthrow and to subsequent Turkish interference in the
dynastic conflict, resulting in the Turkish occupation of al-Hasa and the
breaking of Su‘udl relations with ‘Uman.
While the Turkish appearance in al-Hasa resulted in the^ eventual
occupation of that province and ended temporarily the era of Su‘udi presence
in (and relations with) eastern and southeastern Arabia, the Su udl influence in
al-Kuwayt and al-Bahrayn had either ceased to exist or else weakened
significantly long before that event. Al-Kuwayt had remained beyond the

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