The Battle of Dhank took place in October 1870, ranging forces in support of the Omani Imam

Azzan bin Qais Imam Azzan bin Qais ( ar, الإمام عزان بن قيس ) was the Imam of Oman between 1868 and 1870. He deposed his distant relative Sayyid Salim bin Thuwaini. Opposing Saudi interference in the Buraimi Oasis, he fought against Salim's u ...

against

Turki bin Said Turki or Torki bin Said al Busaidi, GCSI The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander ...

, Sultan of Muscat. The battle was won by Turki bin Said backed by forces from

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

Ajman Ajman ( ar, عجمان, '; Gulf Arabic: عيمان ʿymān) is the capital of the emirate of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. It is the fifth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Ain. Located along the Persian Gulf, i ...

and

Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ( ar, رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة, historically Julfar) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain ...

as well as mounted fighters from the

Na'im The Na'im () (singular Al Nuaimi ) is an Arab tribe in the United Arab Emirates. The tribe is also present in other gulf countries. The Na'im is divided into three sections, the Al Bu Kharaiban, the Khawatir and the Al Bu Shamis (singular Al Sha ...

and

Bani Qitab The Bani Qitab ( ar, بني كتب) is a tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The singular form of the name, Al Ketbi, is a common family name in the Northern UAE today. Consisting of a settled southern section and a nomadic northern section, t ...

tribes.

Background

Azzan bin Qais was the Imam 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 ...

between 1868 and 1870, having deposed Sayyid

Salim bin Thuwaini Sultan Sālim bin Thuwainī al Busaidi ( ar, سَالِم بِن ثُوَيْنِي آل سَعِيْد) was the Sultan of Muscat and Oman from 11 February 1866 – October 1868. He was the eldest son of Sultan Thuwaini bin Said and his wife Say ...

. Azzan opposed the Saudi interference in the

Buraimi Oasis Tawam ( ar, تَوَام, Tawām), also Tuwwam, Tu'am, or "Al-Buraimi Oasis" ( ar, وَاحَة ٱلْبُرَيْمِي, Wāḥat Al-Buraymī), is a historical oasis region in Eastern Arabia that stretched from, or was located between, the Weste ...

and took control of Buraimi in 1869.

Zayed bin Khalifa Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan ( ar, زايد بن خليفة آل نهيان; 1835 – 18 May 1909), also known as Zayed the Great or Zayed the First was the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi from 1855 to his death in 1909. He was the grandfather and na ...

of Abu Dhabi (known as Zayed the Great) supported Azzan bin Qais, who paid Abu Dhabi a stipend for its defence of Buraimi, but the Sultan of Muscat, Turki bin Said, canvassed support for his cause from other Trucial Rulers. In early 1870 Turki visited Dubai with that goal in mind but, tempted thought the other Trucial Sheikhs were to support Turki against Abu Dhabi's powerful leader, Zayed, and the Imam Azzan bin Qais, their support wasn’t ardent enough to back feet on the ground. Although Azzan bin Qais saw the

Ghafiri The Ghāfirī (also ''Ghafiri'' or ''al-Ghafiriyah'') are one of two major tribal confederations of Oman and the Trucial Coast, the other being the Hināwī. Both confederations claim their origin to the Bedouin tribe and the Ghafiri also trace the ...

northern emirates as being

Wahhabi Wahhabism ( ar, ٱلْوَهَّابِيَةُ, translit=al-Wahhābiyyah) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist and fundamentalist movement associated with the reformist doctrines of the 18th-century Arabian Islamic scholar, theologian, preacher, an ...

in nature and therefore supportive of his enemies the Saudis, Sharjah actually joined the alliance between him and Abu Dhabi against Muscat’s Turki bin Said. In October 1870, Turki bin Said took his forces to the field in the Battle of Dhank supported by men from Dubai, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah, as well as riders from the Na’im and Bani Qitab tribes, many of the Na'im at the time being settled at Dhank. The support of the Na'im was unusual in that they had traditionally been dependent on Zayed the Great - and remained so until his death in 1909.

Outcome

Winning the battle, Turki cemented his ascendancy over Muscat and Oman. The Imam Azzan bin Qais, was eventually killed in battle at

Muttrah Muttrah, ( ar, مطرح) administratively a wilayah (province), is located in the Muscat Governorate of Oman. Before the discovery of oil in Oman, Muttrah was the center of commerce in Oman (Muscat). It is still a center of commerce as one of t ...

in January 1871. The settlement of the rule over the Sultanate of Oman did nothing to lessen the jostling of the tribes around

Buraimi Al Buraimi Governorate ( ar, مُحَافَظَة ٱلْبُرَيْمِي, Muḥāfaẓat Al-Buraimī) is one of the 11 governorates of Oman which was split from the Ad Dhahirah Region. Until October 2006, the area was part of Ad Dhahirah Regi ...

and Zayed bin Khalifa’s ambitions to hold the fertile oasis only grew with time. This culminated in January 1875 in a further attack by Zayed against the Na’im town of Dhank and the area south of the town, the Dhahirah, by a mounted force of 200 Manasir and Bani Hajir Bedouins. At the same time, Zayed sent a force of Manasir and Mazari against Buraimi, an act which led to the Bani Qitab applying to Dubai for assistance and a force of riders being sent from Dubai to Buraimi. This resulted in a standoff and Zayed suspended his operations against the oasis.

References

{{Oman topics, state=collapsed History of Oman History of the United Arab Emirates

Background

Outcome

See also

References