"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٧‎٨‎٨] (١٧٨٢/٩٤٣)

-Tr -y ->"■>■ ^ T " '
Uneuccesflful
Persian
attack on
Zubarah,
1783.
Conquest of
Bahrain by
the 'Utub
and transfer
of their head
quarters
from Qatar
to Bahrain.
1783.
788
India to a considerable extent centred there ; and in 1779 the Imam of
'Oman sent a ship to Zubarah upon some friendly errand. In these
circumstances the reduction of Zubarah became an object of importance
to the Persian Government ; and under their instructions several
attempts^ commencing' in 1777^ were made upon the place by the Shaikh
of Bushehr^ but without success. In 1780, possibly in the same connec
tion, but more probably in consequence of piracies committed by the
Ka'ab of 'Arabistan, that tribe were at war with the ^Utub, both of
Zubarah and of Kuwait. At length in 178-2, emboldened perhaps by
the increasing 1 difficulties of the Zand rulers of Shiraz, the 'Utub of
Zubarah ventured to retaliate by an incursion into the island of Bahrain,
where much damage was done by them to the town of Manamah, and
whence they carried off a Bushehr vessel that had come to fetch the
annual tribute paid by the islands to Persia. The military danger from
the existence of Zubarah to the Persian position in Bahrain was thus
made fully apparent.
'Ali Murad Khan, the ruler of Shiraz, immediately ordered Shaikh
Nasir of Bushehr to organise, with the help of the petty rulers of Rig,
Ganaveh, Dashtistan and other places on the coast, a strong expedition
against Zubarah ; and a force of 2,000 men was accordingly embarked for
this service under the command of Muhammad, a nephew of Shaikh Nasir.
The Persian fleet at first blockaded Zubarah, and negotiations ensued in
which the r61e oP mediator was assumed by Rashid -bin-Matar, the
retired Qasimi Shaikh of Ras-al-Khaimah ; but the utmost that the
Utub would concede was the return of the plunder which they had
taken in Bahrain. This offer having been declined, the Persian troops
were disembarked and proceeded to attack the Znbarah fort j but, being-
me t on shore by a W much Jarger than they had expected, they were
routed and driven to their ships with heavy loss. Shaikh Muhammad,
w o commanded, as well as a nephew of Shaikh Rashid -bin-Matar and
some notables of Hormuz, who had accompanied the expedition, were
among the sWn in this disaster. Shaikh Nasir of Bushehr and Shaikh
Rashid met after this at 'Asalu on the Persian coast, where they
endeavoured but without success, to equip a second expedition.
succumbeTto the ^Utub^f ^u^^a^to^ vd: Bahrain tavi ^
of Kuwait had in the meantime arrived the ^ brethren
sway of the 'Utub and became instead 7 1 bt P ^ ^
their Shaikhs. Ahmad-bin Kb I f v, 5 ubarah ' the principal seat of
ruled over Bahrain n " Khallfah Was the of the 'Atbi chiefs tb *t