The
Qatari-Bahraini War
(
Arabic
:
????? ??????? ?????????
), also known as the
Qatari War of Independence
(
Arabic
:
??? ????????? ???????
), was an armed conflict that took place in 1867 and 1868 in the
Persian Gulf
. The conflict pitted
Bahrain
and
Abu Dhabi
against
Qatar
. The conflict was the most flagrant violation of the 1835 maritime truce, requiring British intervention.
[2]
The two emirates agreed to a truce, mediated by the
United Kingdom
, which led to Britain recognizing the
Al-Thani
family of
Qatar
as the semi-independent ruler of
Qatar
. The conflict resulted in wide-scale destruction in both emirates.
Background
[
edit
]
The 1835 maritime truce was a
truce
agreed among individual
Arab
emirates
such as
Abu Dhabi
,
Sharjah
, the rest of the
Trucial States
as well as
Bahrain
and
Oman
. The truce was supervised by the
British Royal Navy
(notably the
Bombay Marine
).
[3]
In order to enforce a pre-existing peace treaty (the
General Maritime Treaty of 1820
), the Bombay Marine deployed squadrons to the
Arabian Gulf
, based in
Qeshm Island
. The treaty prohibited piracy in the Persian Gulf but it did not outlaw
maritime warfare
, as a result, the British acted differently towards pirates who attacked ships hoisting a British flag (these pirates were deported to
Bombay
to be
tried
) and those who attacked other parties' ships (the pirates would then be handed over to the country in question).
[3]
In 1835, a loose coalition of
Abu Dhabi
,
Ajman
,
Sharjah
and
Ras al-Khaimah
ships began to harass and plunder vessels belonging to
Oman
. Britain intervened when two British flagged ships were plundered by
Abu Dhabi
. The Bombay Marine was dispatched and on 16 April 1835, a decisive victory for the British was won, leaving much of the
Abu Dhabi
vessels in ruins.
[3]
The 1835 truce initially started as a British-sponsored six-month truce during the
pearling
season, and was successful. It was renewed willingly by the Sheikhs for another eight months. The truce would then be renewed annually until 1843 when Britain proposed a 10-year truce, which was agreed by the Sheikhs.
[3]
During the peace, the Arab emirates of the
Arabian Gulf
experienced an economic boom, hence why, in 1853, when Britain proposed a permanent peace, the
Trucial States
agreed.
[3]
Chronology
[
edit
]
In 1860s, the relations between
Qatar
and
Bahrain
deteriorated with a series of small disputes.
[2]
Hostilities emerged when, in 1867, Bahrain arrested a Qatari
Bedouin
in the Qatari mainland and deported him to
Bahrain
.
[4]
In response, the Qataris, led by the
Al-Thani tribe
, attacked and defeated the Bahraini army that was based on the peninsula, effectively expelling them.
[4]
These tensions led
Bahrain
, allied with
Abu Dhabi
, to attack
Qatar
.
[2]
The conflict failed to pacify and resulted in an escalation between the two parties in the following year. In October 1867, the Bahraini
Sheikh
Mohammed al Khalifa
, sent his brother,
Ali bin Khalifa
, with a force of 500 men in 24 boats to attack Qatar (Mostly in the area now known as Zekreet). He was joined by a force of 200 men under Ahmed al Khalifa. Additionally, Bahrain's ally
Abu Dhabi
sent 2,000 troops in 70 boats.
[5]
The attack on Qatar led to the sacking of Bida (
Doha
) and
Wakrah
.
[2]
A British record later stated
"that the towns of Doha and Wakrah were, at the end of 1867 temporarily blotted out of existence, the houses being dismantled and the inhabitants deported"
.
[6]
A Qatari
counterattack
followed the next year, resulting in the destruction of most of the Bahraini naval vessels deployed. The 1868 attack resulted in some 1,000 individuals killed and 60 ships destroyed.
[2]
Manama harbour, circa 1870.
Anglo-Bahraini agreement of 1868
[
edit
]
Prior to 1867, the British recognized Qatar as a Bahraini dependency.
[2]
Lieutenant Colonel
Lewis Pelly
, the
British Resident
in Bahrain, issued an ultimatum to the Bahraini Hakim, accusing him of violating the maritime law and demanding reparations of 10,000
Iranian Tomans
.
[4]
On 6 September 1868, Ali al Khalifa effectively took control of Bahrain as
hakim
after Colonel Pelly appointed him,
[7]
after his brother Mohammed fled.
[4]
The dispute led to the British recognizing the
Al Thani
for the first time as a semi-independent political unit in Qatar.
[2]
Lewis Pelly visited
Al Wakrah
, Qatar, where he met the sheikhs and signed the
Treaty of 1868
with Muhammad Al Thani.
[2]
The treaty ended the maritime warfare.
[2]
As part of the treaty's conditions, Bahrain was forced to renounce claims of sovereignty on Qatari soil as well as accept several British penalties, most of which were financial.
[4]
Findings at Zekreet
[
edit
]
Even today, in the 21st century, bullets used in the war can be found in the desert around Zekreet, some still with gunpowder still inside them.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Smart, J.R. (2004).
New Arabian Studies, Volume 6
. University of Exeter Press. p. 54.
ISBN
0859897060
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
Jill, Crystal.
Oil and Politics in the Gulf: Rulers and Merchants in Kuwait and Qatar
. Cambridge University Press. P.30.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Commins, David (2012).
The Gulf States: A Modern History
. I. B. Tauris. pp. 79, 80, 81.
ISBN
978-1848852785
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Reports of Judgments Advisory Opinions and Orders: 2001 Bound Volume
. United Nations Publications. 2004. pp. 179, 180.
ISBN
9210709802
.
- ^
"
'Persian Gulf Gazetteer, Part I Historical and Political Materials, Precis of Bahrein [Bahrain] Affairs, 1854-1904' [14] (33/204)"
. qdl.qa
. Retrieved
6 August
2015
.
- ^
"
'Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol I. Historical. Part IA & IB. J G Lorimer. 1915' [801] (956/1782)"
. qdl.qa
. Retrieved
16 January
2015
.
- ^
Mojtahed-Zadeh, Pirouz (1999).
Security and Territoriality in the Persian Gulf: A Maritime Political Geography
. p. 128.
ISBN
0700710981
.