The Rasheed dynasty, also called Al Rasheed or the House of Rasheed ( ar, آل رشيد ; ), was a historic
Arabian House or dynasty that existed in the
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plat ...
between 1836 and 1921. Its members were rulers of the
Emirate of Ha'il and the most formidable enemies of 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), ...
, rulers of the
Emirate of Nejd
The Emirate of Nejd or Imamate of Nejd was the Second Saudi State, existing between 1824 and 1891 in Nejd, the regions of Riyadh and Ha'il of what is now Saudi Arabia. Saudi rule was restored to central and eastern Arabia after the Emirate of ...
. They were centered in
Ha'il, a city in northern
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 ...
that derived its wealth from being on the route of the
Hajj
The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried o ...
pilgrimage to
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 city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow v ...
, and was also a commercial center. The rulers of Ha'il were the sons of
Abdullah bin Rashid
Abdullah bin Ali Al Rashid (1788–1848) was the founder of the Emirate of Jabal Shammar. He founded the Emirate in 1836 and ruled it until 1848. He was called Sheikh due to his noble lineage and military ability.
Biography
Abdullah was the eld ...
, founder of the dynasty.
History
The Rashidi dynasty derived their name from their forebear
Abdullah bin Ali Al Rashid, the first
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 cer ...
, who began the establishment of the Emirate of
Ha'il. The Rashidi emirs co-operated closely with 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 ...
. However, that co-operation became problematic as the Ottoman Empire lost popularity.
In 1890, Al Rashid occupied
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the ...
and then defeated the Saudi tribes, who fled into exile, first to
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 a ...
, then to
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
, and finally to
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...
.
As with many other Arab ruling dynasties, the lack of an accepted rule of succession was a recurrent problem for the Rashidi. The internal dispute normally centered on whether succession to the position of emir should be horizontal (to a brother) or vertical (to a son) and often were resolved violently. Six Rashidi leaders died violently in the last years of the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, the Rashidi still ruled and fought together during the
Saudi–Rashidi Wars.
During the first two decades of the 20th century, the Arabian Peninsula saw a long-running series of wars as the Saudis and their allies sought to unite the peninsula under their rule. By 1921, Ha'il was captured by
Abdulaziz Al Saud
Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ( ar, عبد العزيز بن عبد الرحمن آل سعود, ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin ʿAbd ar Raḥman Āl Suʿūd; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted ...
.
Some members of the Rashid family left the country and went into voluntary exile, mostly to the
Kingdom of Iraq
The Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq ( ar, المملكة العراقية الهاشمية, translit=al-Mamlakah al-ʿIrāqiyyah ʾal-Hāshimyyah) was a state located in the Middle East from 1932 to 1958.
It was founded on 23 August 1921 as the Kingdo ...
, Pakistan, Oman, Kuwait, and the UAE. By the 1990s, only a handful were still outside Saudi Arabia.
Emirs of the House of Rashid
# ʿ
Abdullah bin Ali Al Rashid ( ar, عبدالله بن رشيد), (1836–48). Abdullah came to power after he got the support from Imam
Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud
Faisal, Faisel, Fayçal or Faysal ( ar, فيصل) is an Arabic given name.
Faisal, Fayçal or Faysal may also refer to:
People
* King Faisal (disambiguation)
** Faisal I of Iraq and Syria (1885–1933), leader during the Arab Revolt
** Faisal ...
to be assigned officially and takeover the Emirate of Hail instead of the current Emir, Muhammad bin Ali al-Jaafar al-Shammari. Abdullah bin Rashid came to the picture after leading a revolt (together with his brother prince ʿUbayd Al Rashīd) against the ruler of Ha'il, Muhammad bin Ali, who was a fellow member of the Jaafar al-Shammari lineage. As a leader, Abdullah was praised for bringing peace and stability both to Ha'il and to the surrounding region. Abdullah demanded from his brother prince ʿUbayd an ''ahd'' (covenant) according to which succession to the office of emir would remain in Abdullah's line. Where it was supported by their cousin and close friend Zamil Bin Sabhan from
Al Sabhan Family who supported both brothers for the succession.
#
Talāl bin ʿAbdullah ( ar, طلال بن عبدالله), (1848–68). The son of Abdullah. Talal is remembered for his relative liberalism and interest in building projects. During his rule, the
Barzan Palace
Barzan ( ar, قصر برزان) was a historical palace in Ha'il, Saudi Arabia. Its construction was begun in 1808 by Prince Muhammad bin Abdul Muhsin Al Ali. The palace was completed during the rule of the second Rashidi amir, Talal bin Abdull ...
in Ha'il was completed. He established regular trade connections with Iraq, and expanded the Rashidi sphere of influence:
"The inhabitants of Kaseem, weary of Wahhabee tyranny, turned their eyes towards Telal, who had already given a generous and inviolable asylum to the numerous political exiles of that district. Secret negotiations took place, and at a favourable moment the entire uplands of that province—after a fashion not indeed peculiar to Arabia—annexed themselves to the kingdom of Shommer by universal and unanimous suffrage." (William Gifford Palgrave
William Gifford Palgrave (; 24 January 1826 – 30 September 1888) was an English priest, soldier, traveller, and Arabist.
Early life and education
Palgrave was born in Westminster. He was the son of Sir Francis Palgrave (born Jewish, co ...
, 1865: 129.)
Talal was considered relatively tolerant towards foreigners, including traders in Ha'il:
"Many of these traders belonged to the Shia
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mos ...
sect, hated by some Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a dis ...
, doubly hated by the Wahabees. But Telal icaffected not to perceive their religious discrepansies, and silenced all murmurs by marks of special favour towards these very dissenters, and also by the advantages which their presence was not long in procuring for the town". (William Gifford Palgrave 1865: 130.)
In the 1860s, internal disputes in the House of Saud allowed a Rashidi/
Ottoman alliance to oust them. The Rashidi occupied the Saudi capital of
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the ...
in 1865 and forced the leaders of the House of Saud into exile. Talal later died in a shooting incident which has been termed "mysterious". Charles Doughty, in his book ''
Travels in Arabia Deserta'', writes that Talal committed suicide. Talal left seven sons, but the oldest, Bandar, was only 18 or 20 when his father died.
#
Mutaib bin Abdullah
Mutaib bin Abdullah Al Saud ( ar, متعب بن عبد الله آل سعود, ''Mutaʿib bin ʿAbdullāh ʾĀl Suʿūd'', alternative spelling Miteb; born 26 March 1952) is a Saudi prince and military officer who served as Saudi Arabia's minist ...
( ar, متعب بن عبدالله), (1868–9). A younger brother of Talal, he was supported by senior members of the Rashid family and the sheikhs of the Shammar sections. After less than two years of reign,
he was shot and killed in the Barzan Palace by his nephew and next emir, Bandar. Doughty's version of the events is that Bandar and Badr, the second-oldest son, cast a silver bullet to kill their uncle because they knew he wore an amulet that protected him against lead. Henry Rosenfeld also stated that Mutaib bin ʿAbdullah was killed by Bandar and Badr.
[
# Bandar bin Talal ( ar, بندر بن طلال), (1869). Ruled for only a short time before he was killed by his uncle, Muhammed, the brother of Mutaib. Bandar reportedly married his uncle's widow and had a son by her.]
# Muhammed bin ʿAbdullah ( ar, محمد بن عبدالله); (1869-1897) A confrontation outside Ha'il with his nephew, the young emir Bandar, ended with Muhammed killing Bandar. Muhammed then continued his journey to Ha'il and announced himself as the new emir. In order to prevent the possibility of revenge, Muhammed gave orders for the execution of all of Bandar's brothers (the sons of Talal), Bandar's cousins (the children of Talal's sister), and their slaves and servants. Only one of Talal's sons, Naif, survived. Additionally he eliminated the threat around him from "his uncle" Ubaid and his sons, while he relied on the far cousins Al Sabhan family who identified as supporter for his father before himself. In spite of the inauspicious beginning, his rule turned out to be the longest in the history of the Rashidi dynasty. His rule became "a period of stability, expansion and prosperity" His expansion reached al-Jawf and Palmyra
Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early secon ...
to the north, and Tayma
Tayma ( Taymanitic: , vocalized as: ; ar, تيماء, translit=Taymāʾ) or Tema Teman/Tyeman (Habakkuk 3:3) is a large oasis with a long history of settlement, located in northwestern Saudi Arabia at the point where the trade route between ...
and Khaybar
KhaybarOther standardized Arabic transliterations: / . Anglicized pronunciation: , . ( ar, خَيْبَر, ) is an oasis situated some north of the city of Medina in the Medina Province of Saudi Arabia. Prior to the rise of Islam in the 7th ...
to the west. In 1891, after a rebellion, ʿAbdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud left Riyadh. The Saud family, including the ten-year-old Ibn Saud, went into exile in Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...
.
# ʿAbdulazīz bin Mutaib ( ar, عبدالعزيز بن متعب), (1897–1906). A son of Mutʿib, the third emir, he was adopted by his uncle Muhammed, the fifth emir, and brought up to be his heir. After Muhammed died of natural causes, Abd al-ʿAziz succeeded him unopposed. However Rashidi rule was insecure as their Ottoman allies were unpopular and weakening. In 1904, the young Ibn Saud, the future founder of Saudi Arabia, returned from exile with a small force and retook Riyadh. Abd al ʿAziz died in the battle of Rawdat Muhanna
Battle of Rawdat Muhanna ( ar, معركة روضة مهنا or ar, معركة روضة ابن مهنا) was a major battle of the Saudi–Rashidi War, during the unification of Saudi Arabia
The Unification of Saudi Arabia was a military a ...
with ibn Saud in 1906.
# Mutʿib bin ʿAbd al ʿAzīz ( ar, متعب بن عبدالعزيز), (1906–07). Succeeded his father as emir. However, he was not able to win support of the whole family, and, within a year, he was killed by Sultan bin Hammud.
# Sultān bin Hammūd ( ar, سلطان بن حمود), (1907–08). A grandson of Ubayd (the brother of the first emir), he was criticized because he ignored the ''ahd'' (covenant) between his grandfather and the first emir. He was unsuccessful in fighting Ibn Saud, and was killed by his own brothers.
# Saʿūd bin Hammūd ( ar, سعود بن حمود), (1908–10). Another grandson of Ubayd. Saʿud was killed by the maternal relatives of Saʿud bin ʿAbd al-ʿAziz, the 10th emir.
# Saud bin Abdulaziz ( ar, سعود بن عبدالعزيز), (1910–20). A boy of 10 when he was made emir, his maternal relatives of the Al Sabhan family ruled as regents on his behalf until he came of age, based on the constitution of Emara. In 1920, he was assassinated by his cousin, Abdullah bin Talal (a brother of the 12th emir). Two of his widows remarried: Norah bint Hammud Al Sabhan became Ibn Saud's eight wife, and Fahda bint Asi bin Shuraim Al Shammari
Fahda bint Asi Al Shammari ( ar, فهدة بنت العاصي الشريم) (died 1934) was an Arab woman of the Shammar tribe who married first to her cousin, the Al Rashidi emir Saud bin Abdulaziz, and later to King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia ...
of the Abde section of the Shammar tribe became Ibn Saud's ninth wife and the mother of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, عبدالله بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود ''ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Saʿūd'', Najdi Arabic pronunciation: ; 1 August 1924 – 23 January 2015) was King and Prime Minister of Saudi ...
.
# ʿAbdullah bin Mutʿib ( ar, عبدالله بن متعب), (1920–21). A son of the 7th emir, he surrendered to Ibn Saud, he was 20 years old. Despite of that, he was one of the key factor of Hail Emara deterioration.
# Muhammad bin Talāl ( ar, محمد بن طلال), (1921). A grandson of Naif, the only surviving son of Talal, the second emir. Muhammad bin Talal's wife Nura bint Sabhan from the Al Sabhan family married to King Abdulaziz after he was imprisoned by him.[ Surrendered to Ibn Saud. One of the daughters of Muhammad bin Talal, Watfa, married Prince ]Musa'id bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Musa'id bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (26 June 1923 – 19 August 2013) was the twelfth son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia. He was a businessman and the father of Faisal bin Musaid, the assassin of his half-brother King Faisal.
Early l ...
, the twelfth son of Ibn Saud. Prince Musa'id and Watfa became the parents of Prince Faisal bin Musa'id, the assassin of King Faisal.
There has been a tendency to attribute the development of the House of Rashid to trading and commercial expansion, but documents have come to light which emphasise the significance of external pressures and the Rashidi's interaction with foreign governments and leaders, but Al Sauds are equally said of the same thing which catapulted them to power.Blomsbury Auctions, London
See also
* List of Sunni Muslim dynasties
* Unification of Saudi Arabia
The Unification of Saudi Arabia was a military and political campaign in which the various tribes, sheikhdoms, city-states, emirates, and kingdoms of most of the Arabian Peninsula were conquered by the House of Saud, or ''Al Saud''. Unifica ...
References
Further reading
Many foreign travellers visited the Rashidi emirs at Ha'il and described their impressions in journals and books, including:
* Georg August Wallin. (1854). Narrative of a Journey from Cairo to Medina and Mecca, by Suez, Arabia, Tawila, al-Jauf, Jublae, Hail and Negd in 1845, ''Journal of the Royal Geographical Society'' 24: 115-201. (Reprinted in ''Travels in Arabia'', New York: Oleander Press, 1979.)
* William Gifford Palgrave. (1865)
Personal Narrative of a Year's Journey through Central and Eastern Arabia (1862-1863)
vol. I, Macmillan & Co., London,
* Lady Anne Blunt. (1881). 'A Pilgrimage to Nejd, The Cradle of the Arab Race: a Visit to the Court of the Arab Emir and `our Persian Campaign. (reprinted 1968)
* Gertrude Bell. (1907). ''The Desert and the Sown'' (republished 1987)
* D. G. Hogarth. (1905). ''The Penetration of Arabia: a Record of Western Knowledge Concerning the Arabian Peninsula.''
* Zahra Freeth and H. V. F. Winstone. (1978). ''Explorers of Arabia from the Renaissance to the End of the Victorian Era'', Allen & Unwin, London.
External links
Al Rashid
on ''hukam.net'', with pictures and flags.
{{Muslim dynasties in Arabian Peninsula
1836 establishments in Asia
1921 disestablishments in Asia
Arab dynasties
House of Rashid
Middle Eastern royal families
Middle or The Middle may refer to:
* Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits.
Places
* Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man
* Middle Bay (disambiguation)
* Middle Brook (disambiguation)
* Middle Creek (di ...
Ottoman Arabia
Sunni dynasties
Tayy