858 



WAHABEES. 



Ajen, situated near the desert, in the district of A] 

 Ami), bad acquired great learning in Bassora, Bag- 

 dad and Damascus. He taught at first in Ajen, 

 and soon made proselytes of the inhabitants of the 

 district of Al Ared. Claiming divine inspiration, he 

 taught, like the Koran, the doctrines of which he 

 but partially received, the existence of an only God, 

 the Author of the world, the Rewarder of the 

 good, and the Punisher of the bad ; but he rejected 

 all the stories contained in the Koran, especially 

 these concerning Mohammed, whom he considered 

 merely a man beloved of God, but branded the 

 worship of him as a crime directly opposed to the 

 true adoration of the Divinity. He also prohibited 

 the wealth and splendour which are found in the 

 mosques of the Mahommedans. All who should 

 oppose this new doctrine were to be destroyed by 

 fire and sword. Mohammed first converted to his 

 new doctrines the sovereign of Dcrayeh and Lahsa, 

 Ebn-Sehud, whom he proclaimed prince (emir) and 

 protector of the new sect, of which he declared 

 himself high-priest, thus separating the spiritual 

 and secular authorities, which were afterwards 

 hereditary in the families of Ebn-Sehud and Sheik 

 Mohammed. The principal seat of the Wahabees 

 was the city of Derayeh, in the province of Neds- 

 jed, and Jamama, 250 miles west of Bassora. As 

 the votaries of the new faith were all inspired with 

 the highest enthusiasm, prepared for all trials,* in- 

 defatigable, brave and cruel (conversion or death 

 being their watchword), their dominion spread with 

 incredible rapidity among the surrounding Arab 

 tribes, of which, in a short time, twenty-six were 

 subjugated, incorporated with the original Waha- 

 bees, filled with hatred of Mohammedanism, and 

 taught to delight in plundering the treasures of the 

 mosques. Sehud's son and successor, Abd-Elaziz, 

 could bring into the field 120,000 cavalry. Well 

 provided with camels and horses, and armed with 

 sword and spear, the Wahabites, though resembling 

 the Bedouins, and destitute of any considerable 

 artillery, which they obtained only by conquest, 

 were dangerous enemies. The nature of the coun- 

 try, their mode of life, and their religious creed, 

 formed their character, which, from the mountainous 

 regions of their original seat, is even more savage 

 and bold than that of the first followers of Moham- 

 med. The disorders which prevailed in all parts of 

 the dominions of the Porte, including the Arabian 

 countries under its protection, was especially 

 favorable to the enterprises of the Wahabees, who, 

 from their seat between the Persian gulf and the 

 Red sea, had reached several parts of Asiatic Tur- 

 key, before the slightest measures were taken to 

 put a stop to their devastations and conversions. 



In 1801, the pacha of Bagdad first received orders 

 to proceed, with the tribes which had adhered to 

 Mohammedanism, against the Wahabees, who, how- 

 ever, by great presents, bribed the generals sent 

 against them to retreat, and then attacked the town 

 of Iman Hussein, destroyed it, and, after acquiring 

 much plunder, fled back to their deserts. On this 

 occasion, they also pillaged the mosque of Ali, 

 which was highly venerated by the Persians. The 

 Persian monarch, Path Ali, threatened them with 

 his vengeance, but was prevented from executing his 

 purpose by civil wars. The daring Wahabites now 

 turned an eager gaze upon the far greater treasures 

 of Mecca, the holy city. Here Ghaleb, a, younger 

 brother, had deprived his elder brother, Abd-Al- 



* Tli< USP of coffee and tobacco, as well as of silk clothing, ' 

 ivas forbidden by their law. I 



Me : n, of the sherifute. On pretence of avenging 

 this wrong, Abd-Elaziz sent his son Sehud, with 

 100,000 men, to Mecca, where he put Ghaleb to 

 flight, but was prevented, for a while, from con- 

 quering the city, by the arrival of the great caravan, 

 under the escort of the pacha of Damascus, who, 

 however, entered into a treaty, not to stay more 

 than three days in Mecca, and not to interfere in 

 the contest of the brothers respecting the sherifate- 

 After the departure of the caravan, the Wahabees 

 took the holy city without resistance, murden-n 

 many sheiks and Mohammedans, who persisted in 

 their religious faith, and reinstated, indeed, Abd- 

 Al-Mein, but destroyed all the sacred monuments, 

 and carried off immense treasures. Leaving behind 

 only a small garrison of 100 men, Sehud next at- 

 tempted, in vain, the conquest of Jidda and Medina, 

 after which he returned to Derayeh, where, mean- 

 while, his father had been murdered, in 1803, by a 

 Persian. Sehud was now prince of the Wahabees. 

 Their high-priest was Hussein the Blind, the eldest 

 son of Sheik Mohammed. The misfortunes which 

 they suffered were soon repaired. 



In 1806, the Wahabees appeared more numerous 

 than ever ; plundered the caravans of pilgrims go- 

 ing to the holy sepulchre ; got possession of the 

 Mahmel (a splendid box, in which the grand seig- 

 nior sends, every year, the presents destined for the 

 tomb of the prophet) ; and conquered Mecca, Me- 

 dina, and even Jidda, marking their path by blood- 

 shed and conversions, among which, that of the 

 mufti of Mecca excited the most astonishment. The 

 fear of the Wahabees spread throughout the East, 

 and even the British were apprehensive that their 

 commerce would be endangered, several bands of 

 warriors having proceeded to the Persian gulf, 

 formed a junction with the pirates, and disturbed 

 the communication between Bassora, Mascat and 

 India. The British, therefore, took the iman of 

 Mascat, against whom his brother had rebelled in 

 the country of Oman, under their protection, and, 

 to defend him against the Wahabees, sent him, 

 from Bombay, in 1809, a fleet and army. The 

 chastisement of their common enemies was fully 

 effected in several battles on the sea and coasts, 

 and especially by the demolition of their chief place 

 of assembling, Ras el Elyma (Kherim), where 3200 

 inhabitants were killed, and 1600 taken prisoners. 

 On the other hand, the British, as a condition of 

 their further assistance, stipulated with the iman 

 for the islands of the Persian gulf, Bahrein and 

 Zebora, celebrated for their rich pearl fisheries. 



In 1810, the sublime Porte summoned Moham- 

 med Ali, Pacha of Cairo and the pachas of Damas- 

 cus and Acre, to undertake an expedition against 

 the pacha of Bagdad, Jusseff Pacha, and his allies, 

 the Wahabees. The pacha of Acre obeyed this 

 command with equal activity and bravery, and 

 conquered Bagdad, the pacha of which, deprived ot 

 his treasures, fled to his father, the pacha of Cairo, 

 who had been ordered to take part against him, 

 and with whom he found a favourable reception. 

 Thus the quarrels and jealousies of the Turkish 

 pachas, and of the Persian khans, greatly favoured 

 the progress of the Wahabees. Soon after the 

 massacre, perpetrated, by Mohammed Ali. among 

 the beys and mamelukes at Cairo, the Wababees 

 formed a junction with the relics of them who 

 had fled to Upper Egypt. Mohammed Ali now 

 prosecuted, with indefatigable energy, his pre- 

 parations for the annihilation of the Wahabees. 

 He conquered Yambo and Nahala iu 1811, and as 



