Page 52 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

rule of Masqat under Dir‘Iyah orders.323
The succession of Sultan b. Saqr to the chieftainship of the QasimI
confederacy enhanced the Qasimi’s already active role in the Gulfs political
affairs. This succession more or less coincided with the death of Sultan b.
Ahmad, he ruler of Masqat, in 1804, and with the ensuing absence of capable
power in the area. The new QasimI leader, who was autocratic and enthusiastic
over religious observances as well as covetous in his political dealings, directed
his objectives towards war and conquest.324
Internal contention for the throne split the Al Bu Sa‘Id family into factions,
rendering them relatively powerless for the next few years. Taking advantage
of such weakness, the Qawasim of Ra’s al-Khaymah, aided by their kinsmen in
Lingeh, overran the islands of Qishm and Hurmuz, which were then
dependencies of Masqat, and went on to capture Bandar ‘Abbas.325 In
addition, the Qawasim under Sultan’s leadership began to prey upon native
and foreign vessels passing through the Gulf. Such operations provided them
with an avenue of income by which they were able to sustain themselves,
obtain arms and build a strong naval power.326 As a consequence of their
allegiance to the Su‘udls and their adoption of the reformed faith, the Qawasim
now conducted their attacks with a certain religious zeal. They observed the
principle of jihad and delivered one fifth of their booty to the Supreme Imam at
al-Dir‘Iyah.327
In spite of the fact that the Qawasim considered themselves subjects of the
Su‘udl state and acted on its behalf in their area, the Su‘udi state did not seem
to have any direct control over the Qawasim’s activities. On the contrary, the
Qawasim seem to have determined their own policies more than ever before. In
1806, for example, a representative of Sultan b. Saqr concluded a bilateral
treaty with Seton, the British Resident at Masqat, binding the Qawasim to
respect the property of the East India company and its subjects in the
future.328 The treaty was concluded without the consent or even knowledge of
the Dir‘Iyah authorities.329 This limited and temporary truce did not,
however, suspend the Qawasim operations against the other forces in the area.
Moreover, the Qawasim continued their threat to the Al Bu Sa‘Id rulers and to
curb their expansion.
In May 1808, Sa‘Id b. Sultan of Masqat, assisted by large contingents of
‘UmanI tribes, proceeded against Khawr Fakkan, where the Qawasim had
established a settlement and stationed a garrison.330 The initial attack was
successful; the town was razed, its inhabitants put to the sword, and a strong
position was taken up by the invading party.331 Receiving news of the attack,
Sultan b. Saqr promptly set forth from Qishm with a superior force and drove
the ‘Umanis to their ships, inflicting heavy losses upon them.332 Nevertheless,
the incident was to be the last major public act by Sultan b. Saqr for this period.
The Su‘udls, who had stopped conducting territorial conquests, began instead
to consolidate their hold on their possessions in eastern Arabia and ‘Uman and
contemplated putting those areas under stricter control. Their increasing
interference in the finances and politics of al-Bahrayn and Qatar led to the
limitation of Al Khallfah’s authority and to eventual Su‘udl control over the
country. In ‘Uman, Mutlaq al-Mutayri, who had returned to his position at
al-Buraymi after a short visit to al-Dir‘Iyah, began to consolidate Su‘udl power
in the northwestern provinces as well as over the Qawasim dependencies. To
secure the loyalty of the ‘UmanI tribes, Mutlaq rearranged his own

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