Isa bin Tarif
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Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif (Template:Lang-ar) Al Bin Ali Al-Utbi (c. 1790 – 1847) was the ex chief of Al-Bida, known today as Doha , the capital of Qatar, as well as the chief of the Al Bin Ali tribe from the beginning of the 19th Century until his death in 1847. He was described by the political agents in the gulf as being one of the most energetic and powerful chiefs in the gulf region [1]
Biography
Shaikh Isa bin Hamad bin Tarif Al Bin Ali Al-Utbi was born in 1790 in Zubarah, one of the oldest historical towns in Qatar. He was the chief of the Al Bin Ali clan and a descendant of the Utub who conquered Bahrain in 1783. [2]
Shaikh Isa bin Tarif Chief of Huwaila Town in North Eastern Coast of Qatar 1835
In 1835, the Bahraini ruler despatched troops to attack al-Huwaylah whose strength was now beginning to worry him. The Bahrainis landed at Zubara, which was abandoned since 1811 and then moved to establish themselves at Fuwairat, close to al-Huwaylah. Despite being reinforced by a small number of Wahabi horsemen and infantry, the chief of al-Huwaylah sought mediation which was successful in keeping the status quo but required the demolition of al-Huwaylah and the moving of its inhabitants to Bahrain. However, members of the Bahraini Ruler’s family induced some of the al-Kuwara of Fuwairat to attack al-Huwaylah, in the process killing a member of the chief’s family. Moving to Abu Dhabi and intent on continuing his disagreement with Bahrain, Isa bin Tarif chief of al-Huwaylah found himself constrained by the British who refused to allow them to continue warfare against Bahrain. The British also brought pressure to bear on the inhabitants of al-Bida and Wakra who, too, were engaged in what were considered by the British as unlawful activities, though it is evident that the British were using their power unjustly.[3]
Conquest of Mombasa in 1837 under the leadership of Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif
On 5 March 1837, the Al Bin Ali under the command of their leader Isa bin Tarif attacked Mombasa at the request of Sultan of Oman, repeatedly bombarding Fort Jesus for a week until the Kenyans surrendered on the 12th of March. .[4]
Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif moves to the Island of Qais in 1840
There then followed considerable negotiations between Isa bin Tarif, the British, the Sultan of Muscat and Egypt, the latter of whom wished to expand their interests in the region. Isa bin Tarif’s wish was to return to al-Huwaylah or al-Bida along with certain guarantees of protection from the British. In the event he asked, and was given permission, to move to Wakra which was had been deserted by the al Bu ’Ainain. This failed to come about and, following more negotiations with the British, Isa bin Tarif settled on the Persian island of Qais in 1840 where he was considered to be no threat to the stability of the region[5] .
Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif overthrows the Ruler of Bahrain Abdulla Al Khalifa 1843
In the year 1843, Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif was one of the men who assisted Shaikh Mohamed Bin Khalifa to overthrow the Ruler of Bahrain who was Shaikh Mohamed's great uncle Shaikh Abdulla Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa whom was also Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif's enemy.[6]
Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif Actual Ruler of Qatar 1843-1847
After helping Shaikh Mohamed in ousting Shaikh Abdulla from rulership of Bahrain, Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif and his tribe Al Bin Ali decided to move to the town of Al-Bida (known today as Doha) and re-established it after the removal of the Al-Sudan Tribe from it. In Al-Bida , Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif built a wall to the sea from both the East and West[7]. In Al-Bida, Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif was its chief, which at that time meant that he was the Shaikh of Qatar since power was centralised in Al-Bida after it has been transformed from Zubarah, the original homeland of the Utub, Isa Bin Tarif's tribe.
Battle of Fowairat between the Mohamed bin Khalifa Ruler of Bahrain and Shaikh Isa bin Tarif Ruler of Qatar in 1847
When the sons of sheikh abdallah (ex ruler) were fed up of living in damam, they requested isa bin tarif's mediation to return to Bahrain and regain their properties. But isa's acceptance of this mediation angered bahrain's sheikh muhammad bin khalifa and aggravated the disputes between them. Isa bin Tarif's hatred to muhammad bin khalifa's behaviour was more than that to the ex ruler Abdallah bin Ahmed. He fought against Bahrain's rulers in a land battle in 1847 in um sawia. At first, Isa and his allies were the victors but soon afterwards isa was killed and his army war were defeated badlyPolitical Development of Qatar from the creation of the emirate to the independece of the state[8] .The battle of the 17th November 1847 saw the death of Isa bin Tarif and eighty of his men. The Bahraini force then sailed to al-Bida and demolished it, sending its inhabitants to Bahrain. What is interesting is that no Qatari tribes took part in the battle of Fuwairat but continued to administer their parts of the peninsula almost regardless of the outcome of the battle, the al Thani in Fuwairat, the al-Suwaidi in al-Bida, and the al Bu ’Ainain in Wakra[9].
References
<references>
- ^ R/15/1/111 , Hennell, Political Resident in the Gulf to Lowe, Commander of the Indian Navy Fleet, 13 November 1847
- ^ The Precis Of Turkish Expansion On The Arab Littoral Of The Persian Gulf and Hasa and Katif Affairs. By J. A. Saldana; 1904 , I.o. R R/15/1/724
- ^ Background to Qatar in the Gulf - http://www.catnaps.org/islamic/history.html
- ^ ^ R/15/1/75 British Bushire Archives, Agent at Muscat to Political Resident in Bushire, 27 March 1837
- ^ The Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia by John Gordon Lorimer, p451
- ^ 6.^ Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman, and Central Arabia, historical, volume 1, part 1 B, p866-870, Political Development in Qatar, A.Aziz Al-Mansur, p38
- ^ The Group of Virtues, Rashid bin Fadhel Al Bin Ali, p92
- ^ , Ahmed Zakaria al shelek, Mustafa aqeel, and Yusif ebrahim al Abdallah, 2009 1st Edition, p71-72
- ^ Background to Qatar in the Gulf - http://www.catnaps.org/islamic/history.html
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