"ملخص لعلاقات الحكومة البريطانية مع قبائل وشيوخ عربستان. بقلم الملازم أ. ت. ويلسون، القائم بأعمال القنصل في عربستان" [و‎‎١‎١] (١٤٣/٢٦)

7
CHAPTER IE
The Ka’ab, the Shaikh of Mohammerah and Fallahiyeh : Tribal Politics,
Relations with Persian Government : Internal and Political His
tory of the Province from Early Times to Death of Haji Jabir.
Basrah 1 was taken by Turkish troops in 1527 (A. H. 935) in the reign
o*f Sultan Sulaiman-bin-Salim from the Arab Mughamis-al-Muntafik.
Sultan Muhammad-bin-Murad whose reign commenced about 1591, reigned
nine years. In his reign, Afrasiab Pasha, governed Basrah, having ejected
the Turkish Pasha ’Ali. He reduced the territory of Qubban, 2 then held
by a Turk, named Bakhtash Aqa, the scourge of his neighbours. He also
conquered the Governor of Doraq and Saiyid Mubarak Khan, Prince of
Hawizeh. The first named he besieged and obliged to surrender with the bare
promise of his life. He reduced all the islands of the lower river, and after
compelling the Prince of Hawizeh 3 to restore the territory on the left bank
of the Euphrates dependent on Basrah, which he had usurped, he refused
the future payment of a tribute formerly remitted to the Persians of that
district. He died about 1601 (A. H. 1012) and was succeeded by his son ’Ali
Pasha, who encouraged art and extended his dominions.
Shah Abbas attacked Basrah sending an army under Imam Qull Khan,
Governor of Farsistan (who also conquered the Ka’ab) : but Basrah withstood
the siege; on hearing of the death of Shah ’Abbas in 1625 (A. H. 1036) the
army hastily retreated abandoning many guns and much property.
On 1st Shawwal 1049 (1638) in a Treaty between Turkey and Persia for
the delimitation of the frontier the independence of the Ka’ab w r as recognized
(vide Hertslet’s “ Persian Treaties,” 1891, p. 139, footnote).
’Ali Pasha died about 1646 and was succeeded by Husain Pasha, 4 whose
violence and injustice estranged his subjects. His uncles, sons of Afrasiab,
named Ahmed Aqa and Fathi Baig, rose against him and with the permis
sion of the Porte attacked him with an army under Murtaza Pasha of
Baghdad, who having taken Basrah, killed Ahmad Aqa and Fathi Baig.
This so incensed the people that they, ejected Murtaza Pasha and sent for
Husain, who was living at Behhahan. Husain was more oppressive than
ever, but patronized literature and paid heavy bribes to the Sultan. In
1652, however, he captured Lahsa and killed many of its inhabitants.
Muhammad Pasha, son of ’Ali Pasha, having complained to the Porte, a large
army under Ibrahim Pasha, was despatched to Basrah and the Turks were
henceforward strong in the land. In 1657, they reached Basrah, which was
taken. Husain fled to Doraq and thence to Shiraz; failing to obtain assist
ance from Sulaiman, he continued his journey to India with his son, ’All Baig,
and eventually took service under the Rajah of Ujjain, in whose service he
fought and died. His wives were brought thither from Doraq and his
descendants are said to be still living at Ujjain.
No further details of Ka’ab are available until 1690, and the bulk of
our information from 1690 onward is obtained from a native history which
was translated by Mr. McDouall, and which is summarized at the end of this
chapter. Additional details have been obtained from the works of Mignan,
Stocqueler, Loftus, Hunt, Ainsworth and Layard. 5 6
These works show the Ka’ab to have been a strong Arab tribe with no
predilections for either Persian o r Turkish rule, fighting Persians or Turks
1 From Mi^nan’s extract from the work of Fathullabibn Alwan-al-Ka’ab.
1 For a further account of Qubban see Rawlinson’s memo, on Turko-Persian frontier, 1814.
* Hawizah was at this time capital of the Persian province of Khuzistan.
4 It is perhaps this man who gave the name “ A1 Husain Pasha, according to native tradition, to the
progenitors of the Muhaisin tribe {vide Gazetteer of Persia, J. G. Lorimer, C.I.E., p. 1258).
6 Efforts made to obtain a copy of the “ History of Modem Basrah ” by Fathulla-ibn-Alwan-al-Ka’ab, the
sole member of that tribe who has distinguished himself in literary arts, have been unavailing. It was written
about 1667—see Mignan, “ Travels in Chaldea," 1827, p. 239 and p. 269 et seq.