Page 89 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

possibilities for its expansion. The fall of the previous Su‘udi state at the hands
of the Turkish-Egyptian troops, together with the collapse of the Qasimi
power following the British expedition, resulted in the termination of
diplomatic relations between central and southeastern Arabia and in the
elimination of Su‘udl supremacy on the coast. However, it was only the secular
power of the SuTidl-WahhabI rulers in the aforementioned region that came to
an abrupt end. The cultural and religious traditions of the Su‘udl-Wahhabis
survived among the inhabitants of the coast, helping to keep them emotionally
and morally tied to the Su‘udi cause, as well as politically orientated with the
Su‘udl state.676 Moreover, the former Qasimi chiefs who had established close
relations with the late ‘Abd Allah b. Su‘ud and allied themselves closely with
the Dir‘Iyah regime (such as Husayn b. ‘All of Rams, Hasan b. Rahmah of Ra’s
al-Khaymah, and Qadib b. Ahmad of Jazirat al-Hamra’) were still alive and
well at this point of Su‘udl resurgence, and the religious duties taught by
earlier Su‘udi-Wahhabl teachers continued to be generally observed and
practised in the area.
The treaties that emerged as an aftermath to the British expedition did not
bring about an immediately substantial benefit to the inhabitants of the coast,
nor did they bring about sufficient political and social improvement to change
the attitudes of the people of the coast toward their former Su‘udl allies.
Therefore it is not surprising that the Qawasim were unopposed to later Su*udl
incursions; indeed, their chiefs esteemed the successive Su‘udl amirs and
accepted their authority.
The restoration of Su‘udl supremacy over the coast in this period was not
achieved through the military campaigns and religious zeal which
characterized their operations during the first decade of the century. Although
he adopted the policy of his predecessors in basing his power on a poliuco- I
religious foundation and applied strict Hanbali views in developing the state’s
legal code, TurkI b. ‘Abd Allah put more emphasis on politics than on religion
in his dealings with the frontiers.677 Moreover, the nature of the Su‘udl contact
with the coast during this period came about in a different way. Whereas in the
past it had been the Su‘udl rulers who had taken the initiative in forcing their
way onto the coast, now it was the chiefs themselves who were paving the way
for close relations and the peaceful recognition of Su‘udl ascendancy. 678
As early as 1824, the year in which TurkI b. ‘Abd Allah established himself
in al-Riyad, the chiefs of the coast were becoming aware of the revival of the
Su‘udl state and of the prospects for its growth and expansion. Such
awareness, together with the fact that the coast was so politically and tribally
unstable, evidently led Sultan b. Saqr, the shaykh of the Qawasim, and Rashid
b. Humayd, chief of‘Ajman, to make their first contacts with al-Riyad.679 The
two chiefs apparently aimed at establishing intimate relations with TurkI in
order to secure their own positions should the Su‘udis regain their foothold on
the coast. Contemporary sources do not provide us with details concerning
these contacts and their results, but it would seem that, in the early years of his
reign, TurkI was not in a position to have much effect on the situation in the
region, let alone to endorse this or that chief. Therefore, Sultan and Rashid
probably expected no more than to get acquainted with the new Su‘udl ruler
and perhaps show their own people that they subscribed to public opinion and
were open to contacts with the Su‘udl state.680
At the time, Sultan b. Saqr had noway of knowing what kind of policy Turk!

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