Invasion of Bahrain (1801)
The Invasion of Bahrain (1801) or the Wahhabi invasion of Bahrain (1801) began as a military intervention that resulted in the First Saudi State seizing control of the Bahraini Island from the Omani empire before subsequently annexing the territory and sidelining the ruling Al Khalifa family what followed was an eight-year period of Occupation (1802-10)
Background
Bahrain was under the rule of the Al Khalifa family who resided in Zubarah, Qatar From there they administered the island's affairs since 1782 They left Zubarah following the entry of the Saudi commander Ibrahim bin Afaysan During their conquest of Qatar Sheikh Salman bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and his family settled in the village of Jawa in Bahrain in 1797 however as Bahrain came under the rule of Sayyid Sultan bin Ahmed bin Said, the ruler of Muscat 1800 He appointed his brother Said as its ruler and the Al Khalifa were forced to return to their old town Zubarah after the Saudis granted them safe passage with some resorting to Kuwait
The Conquest
The Al Khalifa family requested Imam Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Muhammad's assistance in reclaiming Bahrain from the ruler of Muscat He promptly dispatched an army under the command of Ibrahim bin Afaysan who seized Bahrain and expelled the Muscat ruler's forces in 1801 However, Ibrahim bin Afaysan did not relinquish control of Bahrain to the Al Khalifa. Instead, he declared its annexation to the Saudi state and established his emirate's headquarters in the Diwan Fort and a Second Omani attempt to retake the islands was rerouted in 1802 Saudis invaded northern Oman itself When the Al Khalifa attempted to expel the Saudi forces from Bahrain, the Saudi forces, led by Sulaiman bin Saif bin Tuq, retaliated by attacking Zubarah They forcibly took the Al Khalifa leaders including Sheikh Salman bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and some of Zubarah's notables, to Diriyah in (1808-09) Imam Saud ordered that Sheikh Salman Al Khalifa and some members of the Al Khalifa family remain in Diriyah, while the rest were ordered to return to Zubarah. This occurred in 1224 AH/1809 CE. Fahd bin Sulaiman bin Afisan was appointed commander of the Saudi garrison in Bahrain, and Ibrahim bin Afisan was appointed its emir
Aftermath
The Al Khalifa did not surrender some of its Members sought help from Said bin Sultan, the ruler of Muscat, and from the Persians and their relatives, the Utub. They attacked the Saudi garrison in Bahrain, expelled its emir, Ibrahim bin Afisan, and his men, and arrested the garrison commander, Fahd bin Sulaiman bin Afisan, along with sixteen men, taking them hostage until Diriyah released the remaining Al Khalifa. Ibrahim bin Afisan later attempted to retake Bahrain with the help of Rahma bin Jabir al-Jalahmi, but he failed. His forces were defeated at the Battle of Khakeekera in 1810 and Imam Saud was forced to release the Al Khalifa leaders, who then returned to Bahrain The Saudis did not attempt to invade Bahrain again, preoccupied as they were with wars against Muhammad Ali Pasha's forces in the Hejaz. Furthermore, Saudi rule in Bahrain was unstable, and the Saudi state's control over Bahrain was not as firm as its control over Qatar. This was due to the difficulty of maritime transport; the Saudi state lacked a naval fleet and therefore relied on pearl-diving vessels when necessary. Qatar, on the other hand, is a natural extension of Al-Ahsa, with no natural barriers between them, unlike Bahrain. Additionally, there was a sectarian difference between the followers of the Saudi state and some of Bahrain's Shia population, unlike Qatar, whose inhabitants adhere to the Hanbali school of thought, prevalent in Saudi Arabia. This, coupled with Bahrain's strategic location and the intense international and domestic competition surrounding it made the situation more complex