Saudi-Yemeni War
Encyclopedia
The conflict
Ibn Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia, had been named King of the Nejd when the British partitioned the Arabian peninsulaArabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
following the breakup 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...
. Ibn Saud, by war and alliance, won control of much more, and in 1932 proclaimed the merger of the Nejd and Hejaz
Hejaz
al-Hejaz, also Hijaz is a region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia. Defined primarily by its western border on the Red Sea, it extends from Haql on the Gulf of Aqaba to Jizan. Its main city is Jeddah, but it is probably better known for the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina...
Kingdoms as the Saudi Arabian Kingdom. Most of the boundaries remained unmapped, unmarked, and undemarcated by treaty.
The war started when the new Saudi kingdom started growing at the cost of Yemeni-controlled areas, also known as Greater Yemen (Yemen proper and its three self-ruled Yemeni provinces: Asir, Jazan and 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...
). The war was sparked when the Idrissi of Jizan
Jizan
-Ethnography:The inhabitants of Jazan, are made up of Arabs. Islam is the religion of almost the totality of the inhabitants of the city and the province.-External links:*http://www.jazan.gov.sa* *http://krwetatnt.com/vb/...
and Abu Arish recanted his previous temporary allegiance to Ibn Saud and fled to Yemen to join Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din
Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din
Yahya Muhammad Hamidaddin became Imam of the Zaydis in 1904 and Imam of Yemen in 1918. His name in full was Amir al-Mumenin al-Mutawakkil 'Ala Allah Rab ul-Alamin Imam Yahya bin al-Mansur Bi'llah Muhammad Hamidaddin, Imam and Commander of the Faithful.Yahya Muhammad Hamidaddin was born on Friday...
.
A peace delegation sent by ibn Saud was jailed by King Yahya including the son of the Saudi king. This was the day when King Yahya said his famous saying: "Who is this bedouin coming to challenge my family's 900 year rule?" The king of Yemen then sent the Idrissi back to his lands with an army. The Yemenis also invaded 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...
.
Upon hearing the news, Ibn Saud backed by the British sent his army, equipped with modern British rifles and vehicles and quickly won control on the coast and advanced as far as Hodeida in the Tehama
Tehama
Tehama may refer to:* Tehama , a genus of the Crambidae family of moths* Tehama, California, USA, a city** Tehama County, California, in which the city is situated...
, Britain sent in it's Navy threatening to occupy the port of Hodeida and bombard Sana'a. They were countered by the Yemenis in Najran and were besieged in the tehama the Yemenis also cut off supply lines of the Saudis and their campaign stalled as the Yemeni army led by Ahmed Yahya Hamid ed-din was at the gates of the Saudi Capital 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...
But his father ordered him to withdraw as there was willingness by the Saudis to acknowledge Yemeni rights in the Taif Treaty. Later, the Saudis withdrew from the Yemeni Tehama and the Yemenis agreed to the restoration of the status quo
Status quo
Statu quo, a commonly used form of the original Latin "statu quo" – literally "the state in which" – is a Latin term meaning the current or existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they presently are...
.
Aftermath
The war officially ended on 20 May 1934, with the signing of the Treaty of Taif, between ibn Saud and King Yahya, which asserted Yemens' sovereignty over territories (formerly) "in the possession of the Idrisis or the Al-Aidh, or in Najran, or in the Yam country" and these lands were rented for Saudi Arabia in return the Yemenis would enter Saudi arabia freely and Najran, Aseer and Jaizan were to be returned to Yemen after 60 years. The Treaty of Taif, 1934 The total number of losses reached 2,100 by the end of the war.The episode spurred Western powers to send warships to Hodeida to evacuate their nationals.
See also
- Saudi–Yemen barrier
- North Yemen Civil WarNorth Yemen Civil WarThe North Yemen Civil War was fought in North Yemen between royalists of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen and factions of the Yemen Arab Republic from 1962 to 1970. The war began with a coup d'état carried out by the republican leader, Abdullah as-Sallal, which dethroned the newly crowned Imam...
- Saudi–Rashidi WarSaudi–Rashidi WarSaudi–Rashidi War of 1903-1907, also referred as the First Saudi–Rashidi War or the Battles over Qasim, was engaged between the Saudi loyal forces of the newborn Sultanate of Nejd versus the Emirate of Ha'il , under the Rashidis...
- List of modern conflicts in the Middle East