'The Seven Independent Arabian States [Yemen, ‘Asir, Hijaz, Najd, Kuwait, Jabal Shammar and al-Jawf]' [‎321v] (642/680)

10
but those in which the Faithful from Persia and the Yemen and other Mahometan
countries usually reached the Holy Cities.
Hut fifty years of uninterrupted military success, conquest and spoliation had
produced results in Nejd strangely at variance with the austere teachings of the
lounder of Wahabism. Treasure torn from shrines as the forbidden offerings
ot idolatry, or from individuals as proof of wanton depravity, had filled Riyadh
with an accumulation of riches hitherto unimagined in Central Arabia Display
that had been corrupting sin, to be punished by death in Orthodox Moslems
ceased to be sm and became merit when adopted in the capital of Neid, where at
the beginning of the 19th century, luxury, ostentation, pride and favouritism
prevailed. On oppression being exerted on the tribes, discontent arose and some
oi them emigrated. The Wahabi movement, the mainspring of Neidi power and
success, had, in fact, fallen into decay at a time when the Mahometan world was
most stirred against it.
at , We k aye seen how the plundering of the Holy Places, the violation of
Mahomet s tomb, the slaughter and spoliation of believers and the loss of
provinces at last prompted the Ottoman Sultan, as nominal Protector of all
Moslems, to take forcible action. For sufficient reasons it was impossible to send
? Turkish expedition to ^ejd. To Mahomet Ali of Egypt later to becomp
VicBroy w a s therefore deputed the duty of punishing Wahabi outrages upon the
? Mahomet Ah entered on the project gladly. The campaignwould
enable him to build up and tram an army in actual warfare, a force almost
indispensable to his secret plans m other directions. An Egyptian army, mainly
composed of Albanian and negro mercenaries, with a certain number of fellahin Arabic for ‘peasant’. It was used by British officials to refer to agricultural workers or to members of a social class employed primarily in agricultural labour.
was landed at Yenbo in October 1811, but got no further that year being almost
destroyed by disease. In 1812, however, experience so bought, combined with
aige reinforcements, enabled progress to be made. Medina, Jedda Mecca and
Hanakiya near Khaibar were occupied—Hanakiya being on the route from
Medina to Qasim, which had been chosen for reaching the Wahabi capital
reinfoCments 0 " 1118 Mah0met ^ hlmSelf Went to the front -th fu^her
Ai 8 ' 4 ; Sai A d ' th . e Wah , abi ruler ' died ' alld was succeeded by his son
Ab( ullah-bm-Saud. On the 10th January, 1815, Mahomet Ali defeated a
Wahabi force at Bessel, and thus opened the way for an advance into thffnterior
nnin ? ifff 8 u 1 " 511 5 e u 0U remalned hostile, and combined with the tremendous
natural difficulties of the country, rendered further Egyptian proeress in this
fS 0 ? e f ee ,, lrlgly hazard ? 1 us - Mahomet Ali therefore "tried with ^rcat success
the effect of gold upon the tribesmen. Abdullah made proposals for ^ fhf!
stage but his overtures were rejected by the Egyptian leader -is bein JT™ I ft
. Mahomet Ali returned to Cairo in I tfT g f ! ate '
k^er^i^^Ibrahlmfliater' famous 0 to* 3 Euro^^s g Ibrahim e ^afi , ^^ a ^ >r
fh^oTHftrarmy^^^^ d'^d ^ a « 0 ' d ^
the same month. In spiteofdisL'se incredible 0n ^ 14th of
SXh d „f7. mf'SpSEfife to x "
With this remarkable conquest of the interior r.f
eventually included the Province of Hasa on the Persian P,,If C ? nque ( st whlc , h
began, and was continued for some thirtv n ,,, — Egyptian rule
the outset. Even so, its conL—^/ill! f decline started almost from
presence of powerfu'l Turco-Egyptian forces in The ren< fe re(1 P 0 . ssl . ble b y the
Yemen during the years 182^27TnH lR^Vft Southern Hejaz, Asir and the
evacuation of Neid and Hasa h\ f'. u® 7 J, 849 1104 onl y was the
•completely disappeared, and thou|h Nefd asTwahabi SteteTT lnfl ^ enc ^ had
in territory, power and influence, Wahalmmpu™ f ru " k
to its earlier austerities. The inner tribes with th5f ^ ^ J et o rned
established in a new capital at Riv*^ wf ' i 1 th ^ E ™ lr Feisal-bm-Saud,
of Egyptians and TuAs 7 ' ad COme t0gether in a oommo n hatred