"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٤‎٩‎٧] (١٧٨٢/١٦٥٢)

1497
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Tu the summer of 1877 there were serious risings against the Insurrections
ii i tvt • i-i. • i i. ivarbala
authority of the Turkish Government at Karbala and JNajat, attnbut- an ^ Najaf,
able to the denudation of the Wilayat of troops in consequence of the 1877 -
Russo-Turkish war.
At Karbala, it seems, the townspeople refused to furnish conscripts
for the army, and even to pay taxes ; and the lladif there, being locally
recruited, broke into open mutiny. In the town itself, as in the days
of the Yaramaz supremacy before 1843, anarchy reigned; Arab factions
fought out their feuds in the public street; and foreign settlers, Persian
and Indian, were exposed to considerable danger. Resistance to the Gov
ernment was prepared, and even travellers and traders approaching the
town were fired on from the surrounding date plantations. A column
of about 400 regular infantry from Baghdad, with two or three guns,
eventually fought its way into the town, suffering some loss but inflict
ing greater. Months later houses ruined by artillery fire and trees
felled to facilitate the operations were to be seen outside Karbala In
the second half of August the Turkish force was in occupation of the
town, where the bazaars were at one time closed as a protest against
their tyrannical behaviour; but the Radif mutineers still held out in
some of the adjoining date groves, made raids upon passing caravans, and
supplied their wants by seizing specie and provisions. On the 24th August
the Turkish troops attacked the mutineers, and had two men killed,
but returned with five rebel heads which were set up in various public
places. Another Turkish assault on the 25th resulted only in the loss
of an officer killed and several men wounded. On the 26th, about 600
Bani Hasan from Hindfyah and some 'Anizah having arrived to the
assistance of the Turks, it was found that the mutineers had evacuated
their position j and on the next day the rebel entrenchments were demo
lished.
During the crisis the Wall of Baghdad, 'Akif Pasha, asked Colonel
Nixon, the British Political Agent, that British subjects at Karbala
might be warned against joining the rebels ; this was an entirely supei-
Huous request, but a caution was duly conveyed to the iintish Indian
community through Haidar ' Ali Khan, the Honorary British Agent on
the spot.
About the same time disorders occurred at Najaf, from which plac ,
after a rupture with the Turkish garrison, the turbulent local faction of
the Zugurd, the sworn enemies of the Shumurd, retired to Kufah.
Here they made ready to defend themselves by force; but they were m
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