"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٠‎٥‎٨] (١٧٨٢/١٢١٣)

:
First Turkish
expedition
against the
Wahhabif,
1798-99.
1058
which the Pashaliq of Baghdad was unable to afford, the inhabit
ants paid blackmail to the Wahhabis. The power of the Bani Khalid
tribe, who might otherwise have served as a partial bulwark against these
assaults, was broken by the Wahhabis in their conquest of Hasa between
the years 179^ and 1795 ; and from that time onward the necessity of steps
by the Porte, if they cared at all for the security of their own
dominions, was evident. The intrigues of the Sharif of Makkah and the
complaints of Persian and other pilgrims, who now underwent consider
able extortion on the journey across Arabia, also operated to incite
the Turks to action.
For two or three years the Porte were unable to induce their
representative at Baghdad, albeit he was none other than the once able
and energetic Sulaiman Pasha, to undertake an expedition against the
Wahhabis; but at length in 1798, when even the town Hillah had
begun to suffer from Wahhabi annoyance, he allowed his objections,
which were probably of a personal and pecuniary nature, to be overcome.
The Pasha raised and equipped a force of about 5,000 Turkish
troops, with an imposing but not very effective train of artillery, to which
was added later a contingent of twice the strength drawn from the Sham-
mar, Dhafir and Muntafik tribes ; and the regular part of this force, which
in September 1798 was encamped on the right bank of the Tigris at
Baghdad, appears to have reached Basrah by the beginning of December.
The whole expedition was under the command of 'Ali Pasha, the Kehiyah
or steward oi Sulaiman Pasha, a Georgian slave, but married to his
masters daughter; this individual has been described by one who knew
him*as a ignorant,bigoted, irascible, obstinate, ill-mannered and brutal;"
and his lack of military knowledge and his absurd and haughty treatment
of the chiefs of the tribal contingent, on whom he had largely to rely,
caused the failure of the expedition to be predicted by many before
it had even started. The objective of the force was the Wahhabi
capital of Dara iyah, and it was determined to proceed thither by the
circuitous but otherwise eligible route of Hasa, that Oasis being reduced
1 ' o
on the way.
From Basrah Ali Pasha marched by land to the Hasa Oasis, where
he secured all the Wahhabi posts except the Kut of Hofuf and Qasr
Sahud at Mubarraz; but, these having held out for more than two
months against his languid attacks and unskilful bombardments, he
desisted from the siege and, on the advice of his Arab associates.
but Mr. Manesty considerel him "a bra v e and enterprising
young man. f