Dhurma
Encyclopedia
Dhurma is a small town located some 40 km to the west of Riyadh
, Saudi Arabia
. It is the center of the small Dhruma Governorate, and has a population of approximately 15,000 people. It lies in the wide Al-Batin valley, which it shares with its larger twin, Muzahmiyya
. The town appears in the 7th century poetry of Jarir as "Qarma" or "Garma", and is also mentioned by the same name in Yaqut's encyclopedia. It is unknown, however, when exactly the name evolved into "Dhruma". The village was important in pre-20th century Nejd as a western gateway to the region of Wadi Hanifa
, which includes Riyadh and Diriyah
, and often bore the brunt of the military campaigns directed at the region. Its traditional rulers were distant cousins of the Al Saud family, and Dhruma joined the First Saudi State
at the end of the 18th century. A large invasion of Saudi-ruled territory by the Yam
tribe of Najran
, some 1000 km to the south, was repelled by the people of Dhruma in 1775 after an intense battle fought in a nearby forest of palm trees. Later, the Egypt
ian-Ottoman
forces of Ibrahim Pasha
placed the town under siege on their way to the Saudi capital of Diriyah (see Saudi-Ottoman War). Dhruma offered remarkably stout resistance to the invading army, and even rejected Ibrahim's offer of a truce in exchange for allowing him to proceed to Diriyah. The town, however, surrendered in early 1818 and Ibrahim's retribution was especially harsh, allowing his troops to pillage the village with impunity. The town revived somewhat after those events, and was reported by Philby
to have had a population of nearly 6,000 in 1917. Its fortunes have fallen dramatically in recent decades, however, because it was bypassed by the modern Riyadh-Mecca highway, and most of its original inhabitants have moved to neighoring Riyadh.
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. It is the center of the small Dhruma Governorate, and has a population of approximately 15,000 people. It lies in the wide Al-Batin valley, which it shares with its larger twin, Muzahmiyya
Muzahmiyya
Al-Muzahmiyah is a small town located 40 km southwest of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on the important Riyadh-Mecca Highway. It lies in a wide valley known as Wadi Al-Batin, and was founded in the 16th century as a colony of small independent farms and estates that later joined together to...
. The town appears in the 7th century poetry of Jarir as "Qarma" or "Garma", and is also mentioned by the same name in Yaqut's encyclopedia. It is unknown, however, when exactly the name evolved into "Dhruma". The village was important in pre-20th century Nejd as a western gateway to the region of Wadi Hanifa
Wadi Hanifa
Wadi Hanifa is a wadi or valley in the Nejd region in central Saudi Arabia. The valley runs for a length of from north to south, cutting through the city of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia...
, which includes Riyadh and Diriyah
Diriyah
Al-Diriyah is a town in Saudi Arabia located on the northwestern outskirts of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Diriyah was the original home of the Saudi royal family, and served as the capital of the first Saudi dynasty from 1744 to 1818...
, and often bore the brunt of the military campaigns directed at the region. Its traditional rulers were distant cousins of the Al Saud family, and Dhruma joined the First Saudi State
First Saudi State
The First Saudi State was established in the year 1744 when imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and Prince Muhammad ibn Saud formed an alliance to establish a religious & political sovereignty determined to cleanse the Arabian Peninsula of heretical practices and deviations from orthodox Islam...
at the end of the 18th century. A large invasion of Saudi-ruled territory by the Yam
Banu Yam
Banu Yam are a large tribe native to Najran Province in Saudi Arabia, and are the principal tribe of that area. They belong to the Qahtanite branch of Arabian tribes, specifically the group known as Hamdan, and are therefore native to southwestern Arabia....
tribe of Najran
Najran
Najran , formerly known as Aba as Sa'ud, is a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen. It is the capital of Najran Province. Designated a New town, Najran is one of the fastest-growing cities in the kingdom; its population has risen from 47,500 in 1974 and 90,983 in 1992 to...
, some 1000 km to the south, was repelled by the people of Dhruma in 1775 after an intense battle fought in a nearby forest of palm trees. Later, the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian-Ottoman
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...
forces of Ibrahim Pasha
Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt
Ibrahim Pasha was the eldest son of Muhammad Ali, the Wāli and unrecognised Khedive of Egypt and Sudan. He served as a general in the Egyptian army that his father established during his reign, taking his first command of Egyptian forces was when he was merely a teenager...
placed the town under siege on their way to the Saudi capital of Diriyah (see Saudi-Ottoman War). Dhruma offered remarkably stout resistance to the invading army, and even rejected Ibrahim's offer of a truce in exchange for allowing him to proceed to Diriyah. The town, however, surrendered in early 1818 and Ibrahim's retribution was especially harsh, allowing his troops to pillage the village with impunity. The town revived somewhat after those events, and was reported by Philby
St. John Philby
Harry St John Bridger Philby CIE , also known as Jack Philby or Sheikh Abdullah , his Arabic name, was an Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer...
to have had a population of nearly 6,000 in 1917. Its fortunes have fallen dramatically in recent decades, however, because it was bypassed by the modern Riyadh-Mecca highway, and most of its original inhabitants have moved to neighoring Riyadh.
External links
- List of governorates on official site of Riyadh Province http://www.riyadh.gov.sa/PageShow.asp?Page_id=6