TheEmirate of Jabal Shammar (Arabic:إِمَارَة جَبَل شَمَّر,romanized: Imārah Jabal Shamaar), also known as theEmirate of Haʾil (إِمَارَة حَائِل)[2] or theRashidi Emirate (إِمَارَة آل رَشِيْد), was a state in the northern part of theArabian Peninsula, includingNajd, existing from the mid-nineteenth century to 1921.[3]Shammar had been a confederation in the Arabian Peninsula.Jabal Shammar in English is translated as the "Mountain of the Shammar". Jabal Shammar's capital wasHa'il.[3] It was led by themonarchy of theRashidi dynasty. It included parts of modern-daySaudi Arabia,Iraq, andJordan.
A photograph of Abdul Aziz bin Mutʿib, nicknamed "Al-Janāzah", the sixth Amir of Jabal Shammar.
The Emirate of Jabal Shammar was established in 1836 as a vassal of the second Saudi state when the first ruler the emirate Abdullah bin Rashid was appointed as governor ofHa’il by the Saudi Imam Faisal bin Turki.[4] However after the weakening of the second Saudi state, the Rashīdis, rulers of Jabal Shammar, had succeeded in ousting their Saudi overlords from Riyadh in 1891 following theBattle of Mulayda. This resulted in the abolition of theSecond Saudi State, theEmirate of Nejd, and incorporation of its territory into Jabal Shammar. As the Saudis were out of the picture, exiled inKuwait, the House of Rashīd sought friendly ties with theOttoman Empire to its north. This alliance became less and less profitable during the course of the 19th century as the Ottomans lost influence and legitimacy. The Emirate’s capital, Ha’il, served as an important stopping point for persons traveling between the cities ofMecca andMedina and the towns and cities ofIraq andIran.[5]
In 1902,Abdulaziz ibn Saud succeeded inrecapturing Riyadh for the House of Saud, and begana campaign to reconquer the region – a campaign which turned out to be highly successful for the Saudis. After several clashes, the Rashīdis and Saudis engaged into a full scalewar over the region of Qassim, which resulted in a painful defeat for the Rashīdis and the death of the Rashīdi emirAbdul Aziz ibn Mitaab Al Rashīd.
Following the death of the Emir, Jabal Shammar gradually went into decline, being further pressed with thedemise of its Ottoman patron in World War I. Ibn Saud, allied with theBritish Empire as a counterweight to the Ottomans' support for Jabal Shammar, emerged far stronger from the First World War. The Emirate of Jabal Shammar was finally terminated with theSaudi campaign of late 1921. The Emirate surrendered to the Saudis on November 2, 1921, and was subsequently incorporated into theSultanate of Nejd.
A photograph of Saud bin Abdulaziz, the tenth Emir.An early photograph of ʿAbdullah II bin Mutʿib II binʿAbd al-ʿAzīz bin Mutʿib I bin ʿAbdullah I bin Rashīd, the eleventh Amir.
ʿAbdullah (I)bin Rashīd (Arabic:عبدالله بن رشيد; 1836–48). Abdullah bin Rashid came to power after leading a revolt (together with his brother prince ʿUbayd Al Rashīd) against the ruler of Ha'il, Muhammad bin Ali, who was a fellow member of the Jaafar al-Shammari lineage. As a leader, Abdullah was praised for bringing peace and stability both to Ha'il and to the surrounding region. Abdullah demanded from his brother prince ʿUbayd anahd (covenant), according to which succession to the office of amir would remain in Abdullah's line.
Ṭalāl bin ʿAbdullah (طلال بن عبدالله; 1848–68). The son of Abdullah, Talal is remembered for his relative liberalism and interest in building projects. During his rule, theBarzan Palace in Ha'il was completed. He established regular trade connections with Iraq and expanded the Rashīdi sphere of influence:
"The inhabitants of Kaseem, weary ofWahhabee tyranny, turned their eyes towards Telal, who had already given a generous and inviolable asylum to the numerous political exiles of that district. Secret negotiations took place, and at a favourable moment the entire uplands of that province—after a fashion not indeed peculiar to Arabia—annexed themselves to the kingdom of Shammar by universal and unanimous suffrage." (William Gifford Palgrave, 1865: 129.)
Talal was considered relatively tolerant towards foreigners, including traders in Ha'il:
"Many of these traders belonged to theShia sect, hated by someSunni, doubly hated by the Wahabees. But Telal [sic] affected not to perceive their religious discrepansies, and silenced all murmurs by marks of special favour towards these very dissenters, and also by the advantages which their presence was not long in procuring for the town". (William Gifford Palgrave 1865: 130.)
In the 1860s, internal disputes in the House of Saud allowed a Rashīd/Ottoman alliance to oust them. The Rashīd occupied the Saudi capital ofRiyadh in 1865 and forced the leaders of the House of Saud into exile. Talal later died in a shooting incident which has been termed "mysterious". Charles Doughty, in his bookTravels in Arabia Deserta, writes that Talal committed suicide. Talal left seven sons, but the oldest, Bandar, was only 18 or 20 when his father died.
Mutʿib (I) bin ʿAbdullah [ar] (متعب بن عبدالله; 1868–69). A younger brother of Talal, he was supported by senior members of the Rashīd family and the sheikhs of the Shammar sections. After only a year, he was shot and killed in the Barzan Palace by his nephew and next amir, Bandar. Doughty's version of the events is that Bandar and Badr, the second-oldest son, cast a silver bullet to kill their uncle because they knew he wore an amulet that protected him against lead.
Bandar bin Talal (بندر بن طلال; 1869). Ruled for only a short time before he was killed by his uncle, Muḥammad. Bandar reportedly married his uncle's widow and had a son by her.
Muḥammad bin ʿAbdullah; 1869–97). A confrontation outside Ha'il with his nephew, the young Amir Bandar, ended with Muhammed killing Bandar. Muhammed then continued his journey to Ha'il and announced himself as the new amir. In order to prevent the possibility of revenge, Muhammed gave orders for the execution of all of Bandar's brothers (the sons of Talal), Bandar's cousins (the children of Talal's sister), and their slaves and servants. Only one of Talal's sons, Naif, survived. In spite of the inauspicious beginning, his rule turned out to be the longest in the history of the Rashīdi dynasty. His rule became "a period of stability, expansion and prosperity" (ref.: p. 61, Al Rashīd). His expansion reachedal-Jawf andPalmyra to the north andTayma andKhaybar to the west. In 1891, after a rebellion,ʿAbd al-Rahman bin Faysal bin Turki Al Saud left Riyadh. TheSaudi family, including the ten-year-oldAbdul Aziz Al-Saud, went into exile inKuwait.
ʿAbdulazīz bin Mutaib (عبدالعزيز بن متعب; 1897–1906). A son of Mutʿib, the third amir, he was adopted by his uncle Muhammad, the fifth amir, and brought up to be his heir. After Muhammad died of natural causes, Abd al-ʿAziz succeeded him unopposed. However Rashīd rule was insecure as their Ottoman allies were unpopular and weakening. In 1904, the youngIbn Saud, the future founder ofSaudi Arabia, returned from exile with a small force and retook Riyadh. Abd al-ʿAziz died in the battle ofRawdat Muhanna withIbn Saud in 1906.
Mutaib (II) bin ʿAbdulazīz (متعب بن عبدالعزيز; 1906). Succeeded his father as amir. However, he was not able to win support of the whole family and, within a year, he was killed by Sultan bin Hammud.
Sultān bin Ḥammūd (سلطان بن حمود; 1906–08). A grandson of Ubayd (the brother of the first amir), he was criticized because he ignored theahd (covenant) between his grandfather and the first amir. He was unsuccessful in fighting Ibn Saud, and was killed by his own brothers.
Saud bin Hamoud (سعود بن حمود; 1908). Another grandson of Ubayd. Saʿud was killed by the maternal relatives of Saʿud bin ʿAbd al-ʿAziz, the tenth amir.
Saud bin Abdulaziz (سعود بن عبدالعزيز; 1908–20). A boy of 10 when he was made amir, his maternal relatives of theAl Sabhan family ruled as regents on his behalf until he came of age, based on the constitution of Emara. In 1920, he was assassinated by his cousin, Abdullah bin Talal (a brother of the 12th amir). Two of his widows remarried: Norah bint Hammud Al Sabhan becameIbn Saud's eighth wife andFahda bint Asi Al Shuraim of the Abde section of theShammar tribe becameIbn Saud's ninth wife and the mother of KingAbdullah of Saudi Arabia.
ʿAbdullah (II)bin Mutʿib (عبدالله بن متعب; 1920–21; died 1947). A son of the 7th amir, he surrendered to Ibn Saud in 1921, after having come to the throne the year before, at the age of thirteen.
Muhammad (II) bin Talāl (محمد بن طلال; 1921; died 1954). A grandson of Naif, the only surviving son of Talal, the 2nd Amir. Muhammad bin Talal's wife Nura bint Sibban married King Abdulaziz after he was imprisoned by him.[6] Surrendered to Ibn Saud. One of the daughters of Muhammad bin Talal, Watfa, married PrinceMusa'id bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the fifteenth son of Ibn Saud. Prince Musa'id and Watfa became the parents of PrinceFaisal bin Musa'id, the assassin ofKing Faisal.[6]
Georg Wallin (1854):Narrative of a Journey from Cairo to Medina and Mecca, by Suez, Arabia, Tawila, al-Jauf, Jublae, Hail and Negd in 1845, Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, vol 24: 115–201. (Reprinted inTravels in Arabia, New York: Oleander Press, 1979).
Lady Anne Blunt (1881):A Pilgrimage to Nejd, The Cradle of the Arab Race: a Visit to the Court of the Arab Emir and `our Persian Campaign` (reprinted 1968).
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