'The Seven Independent Arabian States [Yemen, ‘Asir, Hijaz, Najd, Kuwait, Jabal Shammar and al-Jawf]' [‎322r] (643/680)

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The return of Nejd to power was, however, not attained solely by the pleasant
d of uninterrupted progress. While the Wahabi State was still under the
in at inn of EffVPt, a rival Emirate had arisen at Hail under Abdullah-bin-
Rashid; it soon grew strong enough to detach Jebel Shammar from Nejd and to
dispute the control of Qasim. . . 1 . , . -u
In 1869 Abdullah, successor to Feisal, reasserted Ne.idi authority m Hasa on
thp Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . In 1871, however, the district was occupied by a Turkish
We despatched by Midhat Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. . More serious still were the reverses suffered
in thp loxiff struggle between Nejd and Hail. In 1886 Riyadh was captured by
Mohammed -bin-Rashid, Emir of Hail, and again in 1891. Then followed a
neriod of ten years during which the various districts of Nejd were m charge ot
(Governors appointed by the Emir of Hail, representatives of the Sand family
were reduced to puppets, and Nejd, in effect, became a vassal State of Hail
The historv of Neid now reaches the period from which emerged the latest
■strong ruler of the House of Saud, Abdul Aziz-bin-Saud. the present King of
Saudi Arabia. Abdul Aziz, born in 1875, son of Abd-er-Rahman-hin-Saud, was
in exile with his father at Koweit when his uncle, the nominal Emir of Nejd, was
murdered by order of Ibn Rashid in 1902. With only forty men Abdul Aziz
pntered the Sedeir district of Nejd, secured support there, marched on Riyadh,,
which welcomed him, and ended the Rashidi domination the same year.
Recognising the energy and outstanding qualifications for leadership shown h>
Abdul Aziz, his father, Ahd-er-Rahman, renounced his own claims to the Emirate
accepted his son as Emir and, assuming the title of " Imam, took the direction of
religious affairs in Riyadh. By 1904 the Emir was master of all Southern Nejd.
He marched on Qasim in that year, but was compelled to retire by a
force co-operating with the Emir of Hail. In 1906, however, he made anoth
attempt and this time succeeded in imposing partial subjection and payment
of tribute upon Qasim, both of which he maintained at the cost of recuire
fight in S moVa h n e gerTh r reatOTed the Emir both from within and without. Certain
grandsons of his late uncle, Saud, claimed the Emirate for their own branch
and sought to raise the southern provinces, Khar] and Hanq, m rebellion,
the same time Abdullah, second son of the Emir of Mecca entered Qasim with a
Heiazi force to support the rights of the Ateibah tribe said to have been infringed
by the Emir of Nejd. This Emir's younger brother, wbo^as his repi-esentati^
in Qasim, was made prisoner. Ibn Rashid Emir , . P ^} ie
"rbXe Abdullah had exacted, an «nd«r-
-ib. wam .h.
took refuge with the ^^Ibe'Vn e hartoui'i ng his enemies. By so doing he
severe punishment on thistribe^for pro ? essed to regard the attack as a
again fell foul of the Emir ot ® lec K ' • JL vear . The Meccan Emir gave
violation of the agreement made p i ■ ■ „ K.jt took no further notice
asylum in the Hejaz to Ibn Sand s traitorous kinsmem c b ^ k to n ° ccount _ as did
of the attack on the Ateibah, tboug Enemies Both Emirs had ambitions to
^
territory with advantage. 1 f 0 f a Neid much more extensive
every direction; he had, too, p gasa had been snatched from his
than it was at that tl ® e ' , f sent by Midhat Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , Vali of Basra and
Emirate in 1871 by a Turkisn . , ■ ■ i »v. e comprehensive name of the
was now known to Turkish ^ WeUtfvX weSy province within the
" Sanjak of Nejd." Hasa was the territory thirwas 7 open to conquest by
borders of earlier Nejd, or w t i increase the meagre resources of his State;
^ h - ~ - f ^
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