Lahsa Eyalet
Encyclopedia
Lahsa Eyalet was an eyalet
of the Ottoman Empire
between 1551-1663 and 1871-1913. The territory of the former eyalet is now part of Kuwait
and Qatar
. Qatif
was the main city of the eyalet, which was named after the city of Al-Hasa
.
dominated the Indian Ocean
and Red Sea
, having built forts
and monopolised trade in the region. The Ottomans advanced in the region, taking Basra
in 1538 and the Qatar
peninsula in 1551, ultimately annexing the entire territory.
However, the 1552 siege of Hormuz and the 1559 siege of Bahrain failed to dislodge the Portuguese defenders, heralding the high watermark of the Ottoman expansion in the region.
The Bani Khalid
tribe seized the territory in 1663, facing little opposition from the Ottomans, because the importance of the region was waning towards the end of the century, and securing control of the area was not seen as a priority in Istanbul. The Sabah clan of this tribe settled Kuwait, while other clans settled in Bahrain
and Qatar
, establishing dynasties that rule those states to this day. The Sabah family continued to acknowledge Ottoman suzerainty when it was necessary but otherwise administered their own affairs independently from the Porte.
The opening of the Suez Canal
in 1869 gave a new strategic importance to this eyalet, stoking again Ottoman interests in establishing effective control as a result of the revival of trade. In 1871 Midhat Pasha invaded al-Ahsa and restored Ottoman control. Lahsa became part of the Sanjak of Najd of Baghdad Vilayet (from 1875 Basra Vilayet
). The sultan recognized Abdullah II Al-Sabah
as the kaymakam
of Kuwait as a subprovince of al-Ahsa, formally acknowledging that Kuwait was a part of the Ottoman Empire and that it was ruled by the Sabah family.
The Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913
would have confirmed Ottoman sovereignty over the area, but with the outbreak of World War I
in 1914, British forces occupied Kuwait and proclaimed it a British protectorate.
Eyalet
Eyalets were a former primary administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The term is sometimes translated province or government. Depending on the rank of their commander, they are also sometimes known as pashaliks, beylerbeyliks, and kapudanliks.From 1453 to the beginning of the nineteenth...
of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
between 1551-1663 and 1871-1913. The territory of the former eyalet is now part of Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
and Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
. Qatif
Qatif
Qatif or Al-Qatif is a governorate and urban area located in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. It extends from Ras Tanura and Jubail in the north to Dammam in the south, and from the Persian Gulf in the east to King Fahd International Airport in the west...
was the main city of the eyalet, which was named after the city of Al-Hasa
Al-Hasa
Al-Ahsa is the largest governorate in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, named after Al-Ahsa oasis. The name Al-Ahsa is also given to the biggest city in the region, Hofuf. In classic Arabic, Ahsa means the sound of water underground. It has one of the largest oases in the world with Date Palms of...
.
History
At the beginning of the 16th century, the Portuguese EmpirePortuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
dominated the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
and Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
, having built forts
Portuguese Forts
Portuguese discoverers have discovered many lands and the seaway from Europe to India in the 15th to the 18th centuries. Along the way they built outposts and fortresses, many of which still exist today all over the world...
and monopolised trade in the region. The Ottomans advanced in the region, taking Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
in 1538 and the Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
peninsula in 1551, ultimately annexing the entire territory.
However, the 1552 siege of Hormuz and the 1559 siege of Bahrain failed to dislodge the Portuguese defenders, heralding the high watermark of the Ottoman expansion in the region.
The Bani Khalid
Bani Khalid
.'Bani Khalid'. is an Arab tribal confederation of eastern and central Arabia. The tribe dominated the eastern region of modern-day Saudi Arabia from 1670 to 1793, and again under the auspices of the Ottoman Empire for a brief period in the early 19th century...
tribe seized the territory in 1663, facing little opposition from the Ottomans, because the importance of the region was waning towards the end of the century, and securing control of the area was not seen as a priority in Istanbul. The Sabah clan of this tribe settled Kuwait, while other clans settled in Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
and Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, establishing dynasties that rule those states to this day. The Sabah family continued to acknowledge Ottoman suzerainty when it was necessary but otherwise administered their own affairs independently from the Porte.
The opening of the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
in 1869 gave a new strategic importance to this eyalet, stoking again Ottoman interests in establishing effective control as a result of the revival of trade. In 1871 Midhat Pasha invaded al-Ahsa and restored Ottoman control. Lahsa became part of the Sanjak of Najd of Baghdad Vilayet (from 1875 Basra Vilayet
Basra Vilayet
The Vilayet of Basra was a vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. It was a vilayet from 1875 to 1880, and again after 1884, when it was recreated from the southern sanjaks of the Vilayet of Baghdad...
). The sultan recognized Abdullah II Al-Sabah
Abdullah II Al-Sabah
Sheikh Abdullah II bin Sabah Al-Sabah was the fifth Sheikh of Kuwait and eldest son of Sabah II Al-Sabah who he succeeded. He ruled from November, 1866 to May, 1892...
as the kaymakam
Kaymakam
Qaim Maqam or Qaimaqam or Kaymakam is the title used for the governor of a provincial district in the Republic of Turkey, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and in Lebanon; additionally, it was a title used for roughly the same official position in the Ottoman...
of Kuwait as a subprovince of al-Ahsa, formally acknowledging that Kuwait was a part of the Ottoman Empire and that it was ruled by the Sabah family.
The Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913
Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913
The Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913 was an agreement between the Ottoman Porte and the British Government defining the limits of Ottoman jurisdiction in the area of the Persian Gulf with respect to Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the Shatt al-‘Arab...
would have confirmed Ottoman sovereignty over the area, but with the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1914, British forces occupied Kuwait and proclaimed it a British protectorate.