'Summary of the Hejaz revolt' [‎21] (23/32)

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APPENDIX L.
I ATTITUDE OF THR NORTIIKRN I1E.JAZ TRIBES TOWARDS THE I1EJAZ RKAOLI.
r In addition to the Emirates of Shammar and Nejd and the tribes of the Hejaz, there are certain other
tribes which must not be omitted from any history of the Arabian Peninsula, ihe most important of i m
are the Amarat Ana/ah, the Kualla Anazah and the Druses. , , . ..i,- i.
1. The Arnarat Anazah (or Dha)ia Wail) occupy the south-eastern part of the Anazah country, wl i .
ranees to the Euphrates, between Kerbela and Hit. Unlike the Rualla it maintams friendly re^imis w. ,
the ffreat Shammar Group to southward, but there is no sort of alliance between the two. Mieir „
house is that of Hadhdhal, whose present head, b'ahd, is long past his prime, aud moreover sl^res us
authority with Mohammed Ibn Turki, head of the Mijlad family, who rules the Dahamish .section of the tn • .
Th(> revolt in the Ileiaz in 191G was to > distant greatly to affect this branch ot the Anazah, but t and
Ibn Hadhdhal professed svmpa.hy with King Hussein. At the end of 1916 it was reported tha coire-
spondence was going on between Ibn Hadhdhal and the Shaalan family. Nawwaf had urged * a ho to join
him in helping' the Sherif, but the latter had replied with characteristic caution that he was restrainei i mi
taking action, as the Turks might seize his lands, but it would be a different thing if the English o^red him
their equivalent in the occupied territories. There has always been friction, however, ^we^nJbn
Hadhdhal and Nuri Shaalan over their rival claims to be paramount chieftain over the whole Anazah.
In Mav 1917 Sherif Eeisal had letters from Ibn Hadhdhal, who said he was only waiting tor him to
come his way to join forces, and in the same month Baghdad reported that Ibn Hadhdlial had given deliniW
proef of his friendly sentiments towards the British, and later came into Baghdad and ottered he w io
hemed support of himselt and his tribes agamst the lurks. , , ^ , . u v A n „ onrt
About September, 1917, two of the greater constituents of the Northern Anazah, the V edaan and tbe
Siba, rallied towards Ibn Hadhdhal, but owing to the distance from his country to the ll^jaz, Ibn HadJuiDai
has been unable to render active assistance to King Hussein. , , „ „ , u *i- j ^
2. The Rualla Anazah (or Dhana Muslim) are allied with the Muhallaf and W uld All under the general
authority of Nuri Shaalan, paramount chief of the Hualla. ^ ' . . . f
In 1915, Sherif Feisal was in communication with Nuri Shaalan, and at the beginning of the revolt
there were many rumours of Nuri Shaalan's descending on the Damascus \ ilayet with lo,00o Kualla at his
back As his markets, both east and west, were controlled by the Turks in 191b, it was impossible >r
Nuri Shaalan to co-operate with the Sherif, but. there was complete understanding^ between them.
A meeting between Nuri, his son Nawwaf, and Fawaz Ibn Faiz, of the Bern ^ajdir, took place at - an m
December, 1916, ai which it was decided to break off at once all relations with the lurkish Government, bin
active co-operation with the Sherifal forces was pronounced impossible until leisal should have reache(
El Ula, and thereby opened up a means for getting supplies through to the Rualla. •, i *
\udah Abu tayvi. of the Howeitat, about this time joiued Nun >haalan, and subsciil'ed to King
Hussein's cause and in April, 1917, came with five members of the Shalaan family to see beisal at \\ ejh,
where arranfiremei.ts weie made tor the future. . . t i , „, _ i i j f <-1
Audah Abu Tayyi w is the leader of the force which captured Akaba in -Ttilv, 191.'. and had some ot ie
Rualla tribe fighting under him, although unaccompanied by any of the Shaalan family.
In June, 1917, Captain Lawrence met Nuri and his sou Nawwaf at Azrak. and was the bearei ot a
request from Nuri that half of the Rualla should be allowed to supply itself from the MesOwOtamian market
^In September, 1917, Nuri was near Jebel Druse and a strong letter was dispatched by Sherif beisal to
Nawwaf askiner him to define clearly his attitude towards the Sherifian movement. Nawwaf had at this time
either been or narrowly escaped being imprisoned by flie Turks at Damascus, while his father was warned
not to fall into a trap the Turks had laid for him under cover of an invitation to Damascus.
In October, 1917, one of Nnri's nephews, Trad, visited Sherif Abdullah in the Hejaz, ami m Novembei
1917, Nuri sent his brother Mohammed and also his nephews Khalid Ibu feattam and berhan 1 m bahd
to Mecca on a mission to King Hussein. . , • n j
During- the early part of 1918 the Shaalan family, although maintaining their friendly attitude towards
the Arab movement, occupied themselves with furthering the contraband traffic from Kovveit to Damascus.
Nawwaf at Jauf levying toll on the caravans which passed through his capital, and taking his share o ie
petroleum carried by'these caravans, while his adherents acted as escort from Jauf northwards.
In June (?) Nawwaf was, at Sherif Feisal's instance, dispatched to Ziza, where he placed himselt with a
small armed following at the disposal of the Turks, in order to deceive them regarding his intentions.
In July, however, as the result of a rupture, the cause of which is at present unknown, Nawwat left
Ziza and rejoined his father at Hazim near Azrak, whilst Nun apparently ^dehmtely renounced his
allegiance to the Turks by an offer of active co-operation with Feisal. He came into beisals headquaiters
and from there dispatched a telegram to King Hussein at Mecca avowing his allegiance.
This declaration is considered premature as it had been Feisal's policy to postpone an open expression
of their loyalty by the Rualla, in order to add surprise to the value of their co-operation when the tune tame
to employ them for the extension of the Arab movement to the Hauran, and, secondly, to transler irom
himself to the Turks the heavy burden of their maintenance in the meantime.
I). T/ie Druses.— \n 191 (>, the attitude of the Druses towards the Shenfs revolt was one of apathy.
The druses have always kept apart from thcr neighbours, and although their sympathies were probably w ith
the Sherif, the prompt actum of Jemal I. in taking child hostages, making many arrests and reinforcing
Deraa was sufficient to intimidate the Druses from taking any action. About June, l.»l/. .Jemal 1. seems to
have made an effort to win them over. Their chiefs were entertained for two months at l umahcus,
being teWd and made much of. In August, 1917, the Druses were reporced to have never been m such a
tloumhing state. They had sold their crops at high prices for hard cash, and even when they h;ul been
requisitioned by the Turkish Government, had managed to retain GO per cent. As long as the -ood
treatment lasted the Druses were not going to revolt but would only rise when they felt they could do so
without fear of retaliation. • . „ , , . . f -pi
. According to information from various sources the enemy continually feared a nsmg of the Druses m
conjunction with the Arab movement, and in June, 1918, Colonel Lawrence received a letter, written in
English, from one of the Atrash family, the lighting Druse Sheikhs of balk had in the Ha ui an, containing
expressions of friendship and loyalty, while on the 31st August the enemy anticipated an attack by the
Kualla and Druses in the neighbourhood of Deraa.