Page 18 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

Pelly^summed up his assessments and'conclusions^kithis^ng and informative

^History of Imams and Seyyids of'Oman36 by G. Badger is the translation of
Ibn Ruzayq’s al-Fath al-Mubin. Thuwaynl b. Sa‘id, ruler of Masqat, gave the
original manuscript to Badger in the early 1860s, when the latter was m Masqat
negotiating a peace settlement between Thuwaynl and his rival brother Majid,
ruler of Zanzibar. Badger’s translation is not completely accurate, but his
introduction, notes, and appendices add to the work’s overall value.
Diary of a Journey Across Arabia37 is by Captain George Forster Sadher of
His Majesty’s 47th Regiment, the first European to cross Arabia from coast to
coast. The British authorities in India selected Sadlier for a mission to Ibrahim
Pasha, who was then at al-Dir‘iyah. The object of Sadlier’s mission was to
congratulate Ibrahim Pasha on the conquest of al-Dir‘iyah, to inform him of
British intentions to send an expedition against the Qawasim, and to seek his
cooperation and participation in such an enterprise. Sadlier proceeded from
India to Masqat, and then through al-Hasa to central Arabia. Ibrahim Pasha,
however, had already left for al-Hijaz, so that Sadlier had no choice but to
follow, catching up with Ibrahim at BIr ‘All near Madlnah and then following
him to Juddah. Throughout his journey, Sadlier studied the political
conditions in the Gulf, the situation in al-Hasa and Najd after the
disappearance of the Su'udi state, the hostile attitude of the tribes of Najd
toward the Egyptian garrisons, and compiled information regarding the
locations and inhabitants of the various towns and settlements he passed
through.
History of the Indian Navy38 by Charles Rathborne Low records, in a
narrauve style, the actions of the Indian Navy in wars and other operations.
Ahhough the work deals more with naval activities outside the Persian Gulf, it
^formative chapters on the Su'udis, the rulers of Masqat,
the Banu Rfi^Ar ^ C°i?St’ ^l.a^so narrates operations against the Qawasim and
officiZr^nnnr 1,16 TIy pan of the nineteenth century, according to
This sumvofl 3ndueyeWltness accounts of combatant officers,
and references w be nCr/ Y "° “ comPIete> since there are more works
howevershonandShm2vVr0greSSeS,- The purp0se ofthls s™>
the nature of the cnntpm pr0Vlde a genera] idea of the subject matter and
facilitate this research ^ ne?r c?ntemPorary materials which
bibliography. er 111 ormation is contained in the notes and