Ghaliya or Ghaliyya Al-Badry Al_Bogammiah ( ar, غالية البقمية; died 1818) was a
Saudi woman who led military resistance to prevent the Ottoman recapture of
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
during the
Ottoman–Wahhabi War
The Ottoman-Saudi War ( ar, الحرب العثمانية-السعودية, translit=al-ḥarb al-ʿUthmānīyah-al-Saʿūdīyah, ) also known as the Ottoman/Egyptian-Saudi War (1811–1818) was fought from early 1811 to 1818, between the Ot ...
. She was given the title Amira, which is the female version of the title
Emir
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...
, in recognition of her acts.
Biography
Ghaliyya
bint Abdelrahman Al-Bogammy was a
Hanbali
The Hanbali school ( ar, ٱلْمَذْهَب ٱلْحَنۢبَلِي, al-maḏhab al-ḥanbalī) is one of the four major traditional Sunni schools (''madhahib'') of Islamic jurisprudence. It is named after the Arab scholar Ahmad ibn Hanbal ...
Bedouin
The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...
from
Tarba near
Ta'if
Taif ( ar, , translit=aṭ-Ṭāʾif, lit=The circulated or encircled, ) is a city and governorate in the Makkan Region of Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of in the slopes of the Hijaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarat M ...
southeast of Mecca. She was the daughter of Sheikh Abd al-Rahman bin Sultan al-Badri from the Kalash family. Ghaliyya was the wife of prince Hamad Ben Abduallah ben-Umhay, the governor of Tarba for the
Emirate of Diriyah
The Emirate of Diriyah (), also known as the First Saudi State, was established in February 1727 (1139 AH). In 1744, the emir of Najdi town called Diriyah Muhammad bin Saud and the religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab formed an alliance ...
. She was described as intelligent, and used the fortune she inherited from her father to support her husband and their home and religion. When her husband was injured during the Hijaz wars and his injuries made him an invalid for years before he died, he made his wife the guardian of their minor son and heir, and thus in effect his regent.
During the
Wahhabi War
The Ottoman-Saudi War ( ar, الحرب العثمانية-السعودية, translit=al-ḥarb al-ʿUthmānīyah-al-Saʿūdīyah, ) also known as the Ottoman/Egyptian-Saudi War (1811–1818) was fought from early 1811 to 1818, between the Ot ...
(1811-1818), Mecca was under attack from the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, and she formed a military resistance movement to defend Mecca against the Ottoman forces.
[Guida Myrl Jackson-Laufer: Women Rulers Throughout the Ages: An Illustrated Guide] She allied with Al-Baqum, and provided Al-Baqum with money and provisions to fight the Ottoman. Because of her active participation the Ottomans assumed that she was the ruling princess of the area, though she acted as the guardian of her son.
She was credited with boldness and strategic ability, and chronicles describe her participation: "Never had the resistance of the Arab tribes from the vicinity of Mecca been so strong as was that of the Arabs of Tarba ... . They had at their head a woman who bore the name of Ghaliyya." Ghaliya's tactics enabled her forces to repel Ottoman incursions successfully during the beginning of the war. Incapable of admitting that they could be defeated by a woman, the opponents spread rumours accusing her of being a
sorceress who cast the Wahhabi forces invisible.
Specifically, this was to have taken place at the Battle of Turaba in 1814: "A number of incidents ensued (including a Saudi victory under the command of a woman, Ghaliya, at the Battle of Turaba in 1814)...", and: "Initially,
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
suffered a series of military failures. In late 1813 and early 1814, his troops were defeated near Turaba and
Qunfudha. In the Turaba battle, the Wahhabis were commanded by a woman, named Ghaliya, to whom the Egyptians immediately ascribed the power of casting the evil eye".
[Vassiliev, Alexei (2000). The History of Saudi Arabia. NYU Press. . (Chapter 5).]
Notes
References
External links
* Guida Myrl Jackson-Laufer
Women Rulers Throughout the Ages: An Illustrated Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:al-Wahhabiyya, Ghaliyya
Women in 19th-century warfare
Women in war in the Middle East
19th-century women rulers
Saudi Arabian women
Year of birth unknown
1818 deaths
Arab women in war