Page 49 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

government to restrain.295 The Su'udls found in this incident an excuse to
resume their hostile action towards ‘Iraqi territory, demonstrating to al-
Kuwayt the inability of the Ottoman government in al-‘Iraq to protect its own
borders, let alone defend the neighbouring countries.296
In the meantime, developments in al-Bahrayn served to facilitate the Su‘udl
penetration into the Gulf. Sultan b. Ahmad, ruler of Masqat, occupied al-
Bahrayn and compelled the ‘Utbl shaykh to leave for al-Kuwayt and Qatar.297
He also proceeded to al-Kuwayt, where he hoped to obtain from the shaykh the
same homage he was apparently claiming as his due from all the ‘Utub.298
Those who retired to Qatar managed to conclude an alliance with the Su‘udi
forces and recaptured the island. As a result, the ‘Utub of al-Bahrayn came
under Su‘udi influence, which had already been established in the surrounding
localities. In such circumstances one is led to believe that ‘Abd Allah b. Sabah,
whose prudent policy and good administration earned him the appreciation of
his contemporaries, must have realized the necessity of going along with his
kinsmen; and so indirectly and reluctantly he accepted some sort of
acknowledgement of the supremacy of al-Dir‘Iyah. Thus, following the
dispute over the sultanate in ‘Uman and the interference of the Su‘udl state in
the matter, the ‘Utub of al-Kuwayt, under orders from Su‘ud, abandoned the
pearl-fishery for the year and proceeded to sail with their cousins of al-Bahrayn
and with the Qawasim of ‘Uman to support the Su‘udi interests there. 299
Unlike the northern coast of‘Uman and the island of al-Bahrayn, which in
certain periods were put under strict Su‘udl control, al-Kuwayt remained free
from such control and interference throughout the period. There is no
indication in the sources available to us that religious teachers had been sent
there or that zakah had been forwarded to to al-Dir‘Iyah.300 The affiliation of
al-Kuwayt consisted in providing possible military assistance for Su‘udi
activities in eastern Arabia and ‘Uman.301 The shaykh of al-Kuwayt, however,
sought by various means to dispense with this affiliation.
In 1805, for example, the British authorities in India intended to take action
against the Qawasim. Hoping that the British would take him under their wing
and free him from subordination to al-Dir‘iyah, the shaykh of al-Kuwayt
offered to participate in the operations against the Qawasim.302 He also
suggested that the British government should guarantee a safe retreat in
al-Bahrayn to all participating ‘Utub once the expedition was finished.303
However, the British authorities, apparently aware of the ‘Utub dependency
on the Su‘udl state, refused the request.
Despite sporadic efforts to disrupt it, the Su‘udl influence in al-Kuwayt,
although slight, continued to be felt until 1811, when the ‘Utub of al-Kuwayt
joined their kinsmen from al-Bahrayn and repulsed an attempt by Ibn‘Ufaysan
to reassert Su‘udl authority over the island. The failure of this attempt, as well
as the appearance of Turkish-Egyptian troops in the western territories of the
Arabian peninsula, helped rescue eastern Arabia from Su‘udl domination.

The Coast of* Uman

During the last decade of the eighteenth century, the Su‘udls also began to
direct their attention to the coast of‘Uman. It is not clear, however, whether
the Su‘udis, during their early contacts with ‘Umani territories and tribes,

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