1717 Omani invasion of Bahrain was the invasion of

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

in 1717 by the Sultanate of

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

, bringing an end to the 115-year rule by the eroding

Safavid dynasty The Safavid dynasty (; fa, دودمان صفوی, Dudmâne Safavi, ) was one of Iran's most significant ruling dynasties reigning from 1501 to 1736. Their rule is often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history, as well as one of th ...

. Following the Afghan invasion of Iran at the beginning of the 18th century which weakened the Safavids, the Omani forces were able to undermine Safavid rule in Bahrain and culminated in the victory for the

Yaruba dynasty The Yarubid dynasty () (also the Yaruba or Ya'arubi) were rulers of Oman between 1624 and 1742, holding the title of Imam. They expelled the Portuguese from coastal strongholds in Muscat and united the country. They improved agriculture, expanded ...

rulers of Oman. Bahraini theologian, Sheikh

Yusuf Al Bahrani Yūsuf ibn ʾAḥmad (1695–1772) ( ar, يوسف البحراني) was a Bahraini theologian and a key figure in the intellectual development of Twelver Shia Islam. Yusuf grew up in Safavid-ruled Bahrain, at a time of intellectual ferment betwee ...

, provides his personal account of the invasion in his biographical dictionary of Shia scholars, ''Lu’lu’at al-Baḥrayn'' (The Pearl of Bahrain): However, when the Omanis later relinquished control it did not bring peace to Bahrain; the political weakness of Persia meant that the islands were soon invaded by

Huwala Huwala ( ar, الهولة, sing. Huwali هولي) also collectively referred to as Bani Huwala, is a blanket term usually used to refer to Iranian Arabs who originate from the Arabian Peninsula, initially migrating in the 13th and 14th century fro ...

, who Al Bahrani says 'ruined' Bahrain. Almost constant warfare between various Sunni naval powers, the Omanis and then the Persians under

Nadir Shah Nader Shah Afshar ( fa, نادر شاه افشار; also known as ''Nader Qoli Beyg'' or ''Tahmāsp Qoli Khan'' ) (August 1688 – 19 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian h ...

and

Karim Khan Zand Mohammad Karim Khan Zand ( fa, محمدکریم خان زند, Mohammad Karīm Khân-e Zand; ) was the founder of the Zand Dynasty, ruling from 1751 to 1779. He ruled all of Iran (Persia) except for Khorasan. He also ruled over some of the Cauc ...

laid waste to much of Bahrain, while the high taxes imposed by the Omanis drove out the pearl merchants and the pearl divers. Danish German Arabist

Carsten Niebuhr Carsten Niebuhr, or Karsten Niebuhr (17 March 1733 Lüdingworth – 26 April 1815 Meldorf, Dithmarschen), was a German mathematician, cartographer, and explorer in the service of Denmark. He is renowned for his participation in the Royal Danish ...

found in 1763 that Bahrain's 360 towns and villages had through warfare and economic distress been reduced to only 60.Juan Cole, Sacred Space and Holy War, IB Tauris, 2007 p52 From 1783 Bahrain was ruled by a succession of sheikhs from the

House of Al-Khalifa The House of Khalifa ( ar, آل خليفة, translit=Āl Khalīfah) is the ruling family of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Al Khalifas profess Sunni Islam and belong to the Anizah tribe, some members of this tribe joined the Utub alliance which mig ...

. They continue to rule Bahrain to this day.

References

Conflicts in 1717 Invasions of Bahrain Omani invasion Wars involving Oman 18th century in Oman Wars involving Bahrain 18th century in Bahrain Bahrain–Oman military relations Battles involving Safavid Iran 1717 in Iran {{Bahrain-stub

See also

References