Dahham ibn Dawwas ibn Abdullah al-Shalaan () was an 18th-century Arab tribal and political leader from

Manfuhah Manfuha ( ar, منفوحة) is an ancient village and a historical neighborhood in southern Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Established on the edge of the narrow, fertile valley known as Wadi Hanifa, Manfuha was until the mid-20th century considered a tw ...

who ruled as the first chieftain of the

walled town of Riyadh The walled town of Riyadh was the original core of Riyadh, the modern-day capital of Saudi Arabia, located on the western edge of Wadi al-Batʼha in present-day districts of ad-Dirah and ad-Doho. It succeeded from Migrin in 1746 when Dahham ...

from 1745 until 1773. He previously reigned as the regent for Ibn Zaid ibn Musa between 1740 and 1745 and is widely credited with laying the foundations of Riyadh, the-present day capital of Saudi Arabia, by constructing a mudbrick palace and erecting a

defensive wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

to ward-off invaders and intruders. He was one of the earliest political and military opponents to the

House of Saud The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818), and ...

and the nascent Wahhabi movement, resulting in a conflict with Diriyah that lasted for almost 27 years. His overall strategic failure and miscalculated decisions throughout the course of the conflict led to his eventual overthrow at the hands of the First Saudi State, making his name synonymous with acts of foolishness and ineptitude in the

Najd Najd ( ar, نَجْدٌ, ), or the Nejd, forms the geographic center of Saudi Arabia, accounting for about a third of the country's modern population and, since the Emirate of Diriyah, acting as the base for all unification campaigns by the H ...

. During his reign over the walled town, the names

Hajr Hajr ( ar, حَجْر, Ḥajr), also known as Hajr al-Yamamah ( ar, حَجْر اليَمامَة, Ḥajr al-Yamāmah) or Khadra Hajr, was an ancient settlement founded by the Hanifites that roughly emerged in 5th century pre-Islamic Arabia and ...

and

Migrin Migrin () or Miqrin, also called Riyadh Muqrin was one of the major settlements in the southern outskirts of modern-day Riyadh, Saudi Arabia alongside Miʼkal that emerged from the ruins of Hajr al-Yamamah in the late 16th century. Forming a vital ...

, which were previously used for the area, fell into disuse as the name Riyadh had begun to surface in the Najd, including for settlements such as Owd and Mi’kal. He rose through the ranks of the Zaraʽah dynasty in the 1730s when Zaid ibn Musa got killed in a skirmish with the

Anizah Anizah or Anazah ( ar, عنزة, ʻanizah, Najdi pronunciation: ) is an Arabian tribe in the Arabian Peninsula, Upper Mesopotamia, and the Levant. Genealogy and origins Anizah's existence as an autonomous tribal group, like many prominent m ...

tribe. He was succeeded by his slave, Khamis, who acted as the regent of Zaid's son and made Dahham as his close aide. He fled the town for

in 1740 in fear of an uprising. The power vacuum gave Dahham the opportunity to seize control of the town.

Early life and career

Dahham was born to Dawwas ibn Abdullah al-Shalaan in early 18th century in

. His father Dawwas ibn Abdullah ruled the town, who died around 1726. His brother Muhammad ibn Abdullah reigned over Manfuhah before a tribal uprising killed him. A rival faction of his family took control of the town and subsequently exiled him and rest of his siblings to the town of

, which was then ruled by the Zaraʽah dynasty led by Zaid ibn Musa. Zaid married the sister of Dahham to strengthen their tribal bond. Zaid ibn Musa Abu Zar’ah. In 1740, Khamis fled Riyadh to Manfuhah and got assassinated. In 1745, Dahham banished the underaged son from Riyadh and assumed absolute authority over the walled town. Fearing repercussions from Zaraʽah loyalists and potential external threats, he began building a wall and a mudbrick fort for himself. Soon after seizing control of the town, the inhabitants of Riyadh rose up against him and besieged him in his palace. He sought assistance from

Muhammad ibn Saud Muhammad bin Saud Al Muqrin ( ''Muḥammad bin Suʿūd Āl Muqrin''; 1687–1765), also known as Ibn Saud, was the emir of Diriyah and is considered the founder of the First Saudi State and the Saud dynasty, which are named for his father, Saud ...

, who then mobilized a unit led by his brother, Mishari, in support of Dahham, enabling the latter to successfully suppress the rebellion. However, Dahham and the Emirate of Diriyah found itself at loggerheads when the former tried to annex his ancestral hometown of

in 1746, which was in alliance with Diriyah. This marked the start of long drawn out conflict between Riyadh and Diriyah that lasted until 1773 when Imam Abdulaziz ibn Muhammad conquered Riyadh and deposed Dahham. Following his overthrow, he and his family along with many of his supporters headed towards

ad-Dilam Ad-Dilam (Arabic: الدلم) is a city in Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia. As of 2010, The city has 40 114 inhabitants. It was the site of the Battle of Dilam in 1903. See also * List of cities and towns in Saudi Arabia The following is a ...

and al-Kharj, which was then ruled by Zaid ibn Zamil. He then fled to

Bani Khalid Bani Khalid ( ar, بني خالد) is an Arab tribal confederation mainly inhabiting Eastern Arabia and Najd. The tribe ruled southern Iraq, Kuwait, and Eastern Arabia (al-Hasa and al-Qatif) from the 15th century to the 18th century, and agai ...

-ruled al-Ahsa where he is believed to lived the last days of his life.

Personal life

Dahham often resorted to harsh methods in order to maintain his control over his subjects. His rule was marked with aggression and tyranny by Arab historians and chroniclers from Najd, such as Ibn Ghannam, a thought also seconded by Arabists such as William Facey and John Philby. He has been described as a sadist and a peerless brute, who would sew the mouths of women, chop off the tongues of innocent inhabitants, break their teeth and slash flesh from their bodies and force them to eat it after being roasted.

References

{{Reflist People from Riyadh History of Riyadh Saudi Arabian politicians History of Najd