Sabah I bin Jaber
Encyclopedia
Sheikh
Abu Abdullah Sabah I bin Jaber Al Sabah (Sabah I; c.
1652-1762 (or 1758 or 1764) was the first Ruler
of Kuwait
's ruling al-Sabah dynasty
. The official Kuwaiti history
states that he was unanimously chosen for the position of sheikh
...
" settled in the region that is now Kuwait. Sabah bin Jabir was a member of this tribe after establishing himself and other families under the unbrella of the Bani Utbah
(hence al-Sabah dynasty of Kuwait as it became known later). The patriarch of the Al-Sabah
family, Sabah bin Jaber, migrated from his homeland, with the patriarch of the Al-Khalifa family, Khalifa bin Mohamed, looking for fertile lands to settle on. They headed towards the southern borders of Iraq
(under control of the Ottoman Empire
during that time). There they first went to Um Qasr
, a small Iraqi city in the north. According to a tradition preserved by the Al-Sabah
family, the reason why the ancestors of their section and those of the Al-Khalifa section came to Kuwait
was that they had been expelled by the Turks from Umm Qasr
upon Khor Zubair, an earlier seat from which they had been accustomed to prey as brigands upon the caravans of Basra
and as pirates upon the shipping of the Shatt Al Arab . Upon reaching Kuwait, they entered under the umbrella of the Utub, to which the Al Bin Ali
tribe belongs, which was inhabiting Kuwait
before their arrivals by many years.
The newly settled family quickly sent its leader, Sheikh Sabah bin Jaber, to the Ottoman governor of Iraq in order to declare his allegiance to the Ottoman Sultan, who was also the Caliph of all Muslims. He did this in order to gain a legitimate status. Thus Kuwait became a virtually independent city with Sabah bin Jaber as its first ruler, in spite of it nominally being under Ottoman control. Upon his death in 1764, aged over 100 years,.. Sabah I was succeeded by his youngest son, Abdullah bin Sabah.
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
Abu Abdullah Sabah I bin Jaber Al Sabah (Sabah I; c.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1652-1762 (or 1758 or 1764) was the first Ruler
Ruler
A ruler, sometimes called a rule or line gauge, is an instrument used in geometry, technical drawing, printing and engineering/building to measure distances and/or to rule straight lines...
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...
's ruling al-Sabah dynasty
Al-Sabah
The House of Al Sabah is the ruling family of Kuwait. They are a clan from the Anizah tribe which migrated to Kuwait in the early 18th century from Najd . They are also from the Utub tribe. After reaching Kuwait, they entered in an alliance with the other families of the Utub such as Al-Khalifa...
. The official Kuwaiti history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
states that he was unanimously chosen for the position of sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
...
Reign of Sabah bin Jaber
In the beginning of the 18th century, an Arabic tribe known as "Bani UtbahBani 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...
" settled in the region that is now Kuwait. Sabah bin Jabir was a member of this tribe after establishing himself and other families under the unbrella 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...
(hence al-Sabah dynasty of Kuwait as it became known later). The patriarch of the Al-Sabah
Al-Sabah
The House of Al Sabah is the ruling family of Kuwait. They are a clan from the Anizah tribe which migrated to Kuwait in the early 18th century from Najd . They are also from the Utub tribe. After reaching Kuwait, they entered in an alliance with the other families of the Utub such as Al-Khalifa...
family, Sabah bin Jaber, migrated from his homeland, with the patriarch of the Al-Khalifa family, Khalifa bin Mohamed, looking for fertile lands to settle on. They headed towards the southern borders of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
(under control 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...
during that time). There they first went to Um Qasr
Umm Qasr
Umm Qasr , is a port city in southern Iraq. It stands on the canalised Khawr az-Zubayr, part of the Khawr Abd Allah estuary which leads to the Persian Gulf. It is separated from the border of Kuwait by a small inlet...
, a small Iraqi city in the north. According to a tradition preserved by the Al-Sabah
Al-Sabah
The House of Al Sabah is the ruling family of Kuwait. They are a clan from the Anizah tribe which migrated to Kuwait in the early 18th century from Najd . They are also from the Utub tribe. After reaching Kuwait, they entered in an alliance with the other families of the Utub such as Al-Khalifa...
family, the reason why the ancestors of their section and those of the Al-Khalifa section came to 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...
was that they had been expelled by the Turks from Umm Qasr
Umm Qasr
Umm Qasr , is a port city in southern Iraq. It stands on the canalised Khawr az-Zubayr, part of the Khawr Abd Allah estuary which leads to the Persian Gulf. It is separated from the border of Kuwait by a small inlet...
upon Khor Zubair, an earlier seat from which they had been accustomed to prey as brigands upon the caravans of 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...
and as pirates upon the shipping of the Shatt Al Arab . Upon reaching Kuwait, they entered under the umbrella of the Utub, to which the Al Bin Ali
Al Bin Ali
The Al Bin Ali آل بن علي is a Sunni Arab clan of the Utub tribe based in some Arab states of the Persian Gulf, especially Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia....
tribe belongs, which was inhabiting 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...
before their arrivals by many years.
The newly settled family quickly sent its leader, Sheikh Sabah bin Jaber, to the Ottoman governor of Iraq in order to declare his allegiance to the Ottoman Sultan, who was also the Caliph of all Muslims. He did this in order to gain a legitimate status. Thus Kuwait became a virtually independent city with Sabah bin Jaber as its first ruler, in spite of it nominally being under Ottoman control. Upon his death in 1764, aged over 100 years,.. Sabah I was succeeded by his youngest son, Abdullah bin Sabah.