Nasr Al-Madhkur
Encyclopedia
Sheikh Nasr Al-Madhkur was the 18th century local governor of what was described by a contemporary account as an "independent state" in Bushire and Bahrain
. The account by German geographer Carsten Niebuhr
who visited the region at the time describes Sheikh Nasr as "the sole Monarch of the isle of Bahrain”. He lost Bahrain in 1783 after his defeat by the Bani Utbah
tribal alliance at Zubarah in 1782.
The Al-Madhkur family was regarded as huwala
- Arabs from Oman who had settled in Bushire, and led the Abu Shahr Arabs on the Persian Gulf littoral. According to Carsten Niebuhr
, the 18th century German geographer, the Abu Shahr Arabs under the Al Madhkurs were one of three major Arab forces ruling parts of southern Persia in the 1760s. Although the Abu Shahr Arabs lived on the Persian Gulf
littoral they should not be confused with Huwalas, and did not share their sense of identity, at least according to Niebuhr. Niebuhr visited Abu Shahr in 1765 and when he wrote of independent Arab states he included Abu Shahr. However it seems likely that under the system of suzerainty, the Al-Madhkurs held at least nominal allegiance to governors in southern Persia.
In 1753, from their base in Bushire, the Al Madhkurs took over Bahrain, the position of which had been badly undermined by the chaos following successive invasions. Sheikh Nasr seems to have been using Bahrain as a place to send those suffering from leprosy and venereal disease.
, now in modern Qatar, had brought it to the attention of the two main regional powers at that time, Persia and Oman, which were presumably sympathetic to Sheikh Nasr’s ambitions. Zubarah
offered great potential wealth because of the extensive pearls found in its waters. In 1782, war broke out between the Zubarah
-based Bani Utbah
tribe and the Al-Madhkurs. Zubarah
was originally the center of power of the Bani Utbah
, from which the Al-Khalifa family belongs to.
The battle of Zubarah
took place in the year 1782 between the Bani Utbah
tribe and the army of Nasr Al-Madhkur.
In 1783, Nasr Al-Madhkur lost the islands of Bahrain
to the Bani Utbah
tribe.
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...
. The account by German geographer Carsten Niebuhr
Carsten Niebuhr
Carsten Niebuhr or Karsten Niebuhr , a German mathematician, cartographer, and explorer in the service of Denmark, is renowned for his travels on the Arabian peninsula.-Biography:...
who visited the region at the time describes Sheikh Nasr as "the sole Monarch of the isle of Bahrain”. He lost Bahrain in 1783 after his defeat by the Bani Utbah
Bani Utbah
The Bani Utbah is a tribe, or tribal federation of Alrab lans that originated from the region of Najd in central Arabia. The tribe is thought to have been formed when a group of disparate clans migrated from Najd to the Persian Gulf coast sometime in the late seventeenth century.Utub is the...
tribal alliance at Zubarah in 1782.
The Al-Madhkur family was regarded as huwala
Huwala
The Huwala meaning "Those that have changed or moved". Originally the "Huwala" word is Arabic, but since Persian does not contain the pharyngeal fricative "ح" present in Arabic, it pronounced it Huwala...
- Arabs from Oman who had settled in Bushire, and led the Abu Shahr Arabs on the Persian Gulf littoral. According to Carsten Niebuhr
Carsten Niebuhr
Carsten Niebuhr or Karsten Niebuhr , a German mathematician, cartographer, and explorer in the service of Denmark, is renowned for his travels on the Arabian peninsula.-Biography:...
, the 18th century German geographer, the Abu Shahr Arabs under the Al Madhkurs were one of three major Arab forces ruling parts of southern Persia in the 1760s. Although the Abu Shahr Arabs lived on the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
littoral they should not be confused with Huwalas, and did not share their sense of identity, at least according to Niebuhr. Niebuhr visited Abu Shahr in 1765 and when he wrote of independent Arab states he included Abu Shahr. However it seems likely that under the system of suzerainty, the Al-Madhkurs held at least nominal allegiance to governors in southern Persia.
In 1753, from their base in Bushire, the Al Madhkurs took over Bahrain, the position of which had been badly undermined by the chaos following successive invasions. Sheikh Nasr seems to have been using Bahrain as a place to send those suffering from leprosy and venereal disease.
Bani Utbah defeat of Nasr Al-Madhkur at Zubarah in 1782
The prosperity and emerging position as a flourishing pearling centre and trading port of ZubarahZubarah
Zubarah is a ruined and deserted town located in the northwestern coast of the Qatar peninsula about 105 km from the Qatari capital of Doha, part of Madinat ash Shamal municipality...
, now in modern Qatar, had brought it to the attention of the two main regional powers at that time, Persia and Oman, which were presumably sympathetic to Sheikh Nasr’s ambitions. Zubarah
Zubarah
Zubarah is a ruined and deserted town located in the northwestern coast of the Qatar peninsula about 105 km from the Qatari capital of Doha, part of Madinat ash Shamal municipality...
offered great potential wealth because of the extensive pearls found in its waters. In 1782, war broke out between the Zubarah
Zubarah
Zubarah is a ruined and deserted town located in the northwestern coast of the Qatar peninsula about 105 km from the Qatari capital of Doha, part of Madinat ash Shamal municipality...
-based Bani Utbah
Bani Utbah
The Bani Utbah is a tribe, or tribal federation of Alrab lans that originated from the region of Najd in central Arabia. The tribe is thought to have been formed when a group of disparate clans migrated from Najd to the Persian Gulf coast sometime in the late seventeenth century.Utub is the...
tribe and the Al-Madhkurs. Zubarah
Zubarah
Zubarah is a ruined and deserted town located in the northwestern coast of the Qatar peninsula about 105 km from the Qatari capital of Doha, part of Madinat ash Shamal municipality...
was originally the center of power of the Bani Utbah
Bani Utbah
The Bani Utbah is a tribe, or tribal federation of Alrab lans that originated from the region of Najd in central Arabia. The tribe is thought to have been formed when a group of disparate clans migrated from Najd to the Persian Gulf coast sometime in the late seventeenth century.Utub is the...
, from which the Al-Khalifa family belongs to.
The battle of Zubarah
Zubarah
Zubarah is a ruined and deserted town located in the northwestern coast of the Qatar peninsula about 105 km from the Qatari capital of Doha, part of Madinat ash Shamal municipality...
took place in the year 1782 between the Bani Utbah
Bani Utbah
The Bani Utbah is a tribe, or tribal federation of Alrab lans that originated from the region of Najd in central Arabia. The tribe is thought to have been formed when a group of disparate clans migrated from Najd to the Persian Gulf coast sometime in the late seventeenth century.Utub is the...
tribe and the army of Nasr Al-Madhkur.
In 1783, Nasr Al-Madhkur lost the islands of 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...
to the Bani Utbah
Bani Utbah
The Bani Utbah is a tribe, or tribal federation of Alrab lans that originated from the region of Najd in central Arabia. The tribe is thought to have been formed when a group of disparate clans migrated from Najd to the Persian Gulf coast sometime in the late seventeenth century.Utub is the...
tribe.