Page 62 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

agency be established at Masqat.419
Nevertheless, the agreement soon deteriorated as a result of the
determination of the Su‘udl amir to exercise more control over Masqat. He
therefore dispatched reinforcements to al-Harq, who was commanding the
troops in ‘Uman, and ordered him to resume the warfare.420 With some of his
Najdl horsemen and levies from al-Zahirah, al-Harq fell upon al-Batinah,
attacked al-Suwayq, nearly exterminated the force which the ruler of Masqat
had sent to repel him, and subsequently proceeded to besiege Suhar, the
largest town on the coast next to Masqat. The success of al-Harq’s operation
and the inevitable further advance toward the capital caused Sultan much
alarm and convinced him that a common front was necessary to arrest the
advancing army. He therefore summoned the prominent members of Al Bu
Sa‘Id and several ‘Uman! chiefs to a council of war at Barka, aimed at
provoking patriotic sentiment and rallying the people to the defence of the
country.421 In his opening speech, Sultan expressed his sorrow over the great
losses at al-Suwayq and pointed out the critical situation facing them:

War is waged against us from all directions. Those who were previously our
friends have now become our enemies, while those who claim to be our
friends prove worthless in these difficult moments. The crisis has now
become very serious and I therfore ask your opinion of the situation.422
A consultation followed and the solution was adopted to make a general levy of
the tribes who were to assemble as soon as practicable at al-Khaburah to
encounter the Su‘udl forces. While preparations were being made and
thousands of men recruited to raise the siege of Suhar which Salim al-Harq and
his army were investing after the action at al-Suwayq,423 an incident affecting
the Su‘udis compelled al-Harq to change his course.424 This event was the
assassination of Amir ‘Abd al-‘Az!z in the mosque at al-Dir‘Iyah in November
1803 and the subsequent succession of his son Su‘ud.425
Although the new administration of the Su‘udl state would continue the
policy of its predecessor, including the affair of ‘Uman, it would take some
time before things would return to normal and the sending of reinforcements
to remote regions would be considered. Thus, on receiving the news of the
death of‘Abd al-‘Az!z, al-Harq raised the siege of Suhar and quietly withdrew
to al-Burayml, his headquarters.426
The ‘Umanls, on the other hand, unaware of the real cause behind al-Harq’s
sudden retirement, attributed it to their own superiority in number or to the
success of the negotiations which they thought had been carried on by Sultan
with the Su‘udl commander.427 The ‘Umanls, satisfied with al-Harq’s
withdrawal, allowed their tribal forces to disperse. 428
During the first few months of his reign, Amir Su‘ud was occupied with
minor raids on the Muntaflq tribes near al-Basrah and al-Zubayr. Later in the
year, he was concerned with the affairs of the Hijaz, which turned his attention
temporarily from ‘Uman. Ghalib b. Musa‘ad, the sharif of Makkah who had
escaped to Juddah shortly before Makkah fell to the Su‘udls, had taken
advantage of the reduction of the Su‘udl garrison in the city to attack and
restore Makkah. It was not until the recovery of Makkah and the settlement of
the affairs of the Hijaz that Su‘ud again turned his attention to ‘Uman, sending
reinforcements that enabled al-Harq to resume his military campaign of
penetrating deeply into the Batinah coast.

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