Page 98 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

to the region in order to assert his own authority and eliminate the threat. 760
Not only did Zuwayd and his troops expel the Egyptian emissary in a
reassertion of Su‘udi authority over that part of eastern Arabia, but they also
attacked Tarut Island in gn attempt to restore Su‘udi sovereignty there as
well.761 Tarut Island had been part of the Su‘udl dominions prior to the death
of Amir Turk! but had later fallen into the hands of the ruler of al-Bahrayn.762
The attack was both a failure and a provocation. On the one hand, it failed to
achieve the objective of reviving Su‘udi rule over the island and, on the other,
it provoked the A1 Khalifah into resuming the blockading of al-Qatlf and
al-‘Uqayr.763 However, new developments in al-Bahrayn soon led not only to a
lifting of the blockade, but also to the establishment of cooperative relations
with the Su‘udi state for the welfare of both sides.
Internally, al-Bahrayn was being threatened by the dissension of ‘Isa b.
Tarlf, the chief of Huwaylah, a Bahraynl dependency in Qatar.764 ‘Isa was later
joined by one of the sons of the ruler of al-Bahrayn, and together they
approached the Su‘udl authorities, offering their submission to the Su‘udl
state.765 The ruler of al-Bahrayn suspected that the Persian government might
take advantage of Bahrayn’s internal problems by pursuing its designs to take
over the island.766 Therefore, in the interest of preserving the security of his
regime and the integrity of his dominions, ‘Abd Allah entered into negotiations
with the Su‘udi government, and concluded a settlement on the following
terms: 1) the ruler of al-Bahrayn would remit to al-Riyad a zakah amounting to
$MT 2,000 per year, 2) the Su‘udi ruler would supply a contingent of troops to
help protect al-Bahrayn from external invasions, and 3) al-Bahrayn would not
be expected to provide ships in the event that the Su‘udls should decide to
invade ‘Uman.767
Not long afterwards, Faysal became preoccupied with the materialization of
the Egyptian threat to restore their dominance in Najd. As early as 1825, the
year in which TurkI b. ‘Abd Allah expelled the last contingent of Egyptian
troops and inaugurated his rule in Najd, Muhammad ‘All Pasha pledged
himself to eject the Su‘udl ruler and impose his own authority as soon as a
favourable occasion arose.768 The delay in executing this pledge was due to the
fact that Muhammad ‘All had been occupied with wars elsewhere.769 It was not
until 1836 that Muhammad ‘All found it timely to direct his energies toward
Najd in an attempt to bring it under Egyptian control.
Early pressure came via an emissary sent to Faysal to demand a political
affiliation with the Egyptian government: the Egyptians sought FaysaPs
participation in the impending expedition against the region of ‘Aslr and
wanted a large number of camels for transport.770 Reluctant to heed their
demands yet unprepared for open hostility, Faysal evaded the requirement by
excusing himself from personal participation, and by sending instead his
brother to Makkah with a letter and presents for the Egyptian governor
there.771 This conduct served only to anger Muhammad ‘All, who considered
FaysaPs response a challenge to his own pretended authority; as a result, he
despatched a punitive expedition against the rebellious amir of Najd.772 In
order to minimize the hostility of the people of Najd toward the advancing
Egyptian troops, as well as to drive a wedge into the loyalty of the Su‘udl house,
Muhammad ‘All persuaded Khalid b. Su‘ud to join the expedition by offering
to make him an Egyptian representative in the emirate of Najd once the
elimination of FaysaPs rule was accomplished.773 The strength of the

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