Idrisid Emirate of Asir
Idrisid Emirate of Asir إمارة عسير الإدريسية ( Arabic ) | |||||||||||||
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1908–1930 | |||||||||||||
Formal annexation by Saudi Arabia | 14 June 1934 | ||||||||||||
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Today part of | Saudi Arabia Yemen |
The Idrisid Emirate of Asir (
History
In the early 20th century the Asir region was in chaos. De jure, the region was governed as the Sanjak of Asir which was part of the Vilayet of Yemen, although the Ottomans only had de facto control over port cities, while the hinterlands were ruled by various tribal chiefs. Even in the areas of Ottoman control, anti-Turkish sentiment was brewing, beginning ethnic and sectarian conflicts between the Turkish overlords and the local inhabitants. Due to these circumstances, Sayyid Muhammad ibn Ali al-Idrisi began spreading his grandfather's teachings, as well as calling for the local inhabitants to maintain a stricter adherence to Islam. On December 24, 1908, Muhammad proclaimed himself Imam, after which many tribes in the Asir region recognized him as their spiritual leader.[2]
Throughout the autumn of 1909, Muhammad began his first efforts towards subverting Ottoman power in the region. Following this, Idrisid troops took over Az Zaydiyah and Al Luḩayyah, together with several tribes of Upper Asir aligning themselves with Al-Idrisi, led to the decision where the Ottomans made peace with the Idrisids. In the treaty of al-Hafa'ir (ratified January 1910), Al-Idrisi gained the position of Kaymakam of Asir which de facto made him a semi-independent ruler of the region under Ottoman Suzerainty.[3]
In October 1910, a debate in the court over
By 1915, with the
Threats to Asir's independence would soon grow, as Hussein bin Ali of
After the death of Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Idrisi in lower Asir, a feud flared up between his son, Sayyid Ali ibn Muhammad al-idrisi al-Hasani and his brother, Sayyid al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Idrisi al-Hasani. The title of Emir was eventually passed on to the former, yet he could barely exercise his power due to his young age and a lack of authority from his father. In early 1926 the Emir Ali was overthrown by his uncle Al-Hassan, who saw himself as a better fit for the throne.
As the new Emir came to power, the rulers of Hejaz and Yemen claimed Idrisid possessions. In April 1925 Imam Yahya took over Al Hudaydah and occupied other parts of the Idrisid Emirate. Due to the fear of his realm being annexed, especially by Yemen, the Emir signed a deal with Ibn Saud on a protectorate treaty on October 21, 1926 – in which the foreign policy would be handled by the Saudis while the Emir retained his power over domestic affairs. By that time the Emirate was losing its southern territories to Yemen.
Nonetheless, Emir Al-Hasan sought the restoration of his previously independent authority with the limiting of the protectorate treaty. This led him to contact the Imam of Yemen, being dissatisfied with Saudi overlordship. King ibn Saud responded with carrying out the full annexation of the Emirate in 1934 (in accordance with the
Monarchs
Emir of Asir
- Sayyid Muhammad ibn Ali al-Idrisi (1909–1923)
- Sayyid Ali ibn Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Hasani (1923–1926)
- Sayyid al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Idrisi al-Hasani (1926–1930)[5]
References
- ^ "Other Arabian Polities".
- Hurst Publishers. p. 87. Archived from the originalon 9 December 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- Hurst Publishers. p. 95. Archived from the originalon 9 December 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ Hurst Publishers. pp. 95–104. Archived from the originalon 9 December 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ 20 November 1930, the territory was incorporated into Hejaz.
External links
- R.L. Headley, ʿAsīr, Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition.
- A. K. Bang, The Idrisi State of Asir 1906–1934: Politics, Religion and Personal Prestige as State-building factors in early twentieth century Arabia, Bergen Studies on the Middle East and Africa (1996).
- J. Reissner, Die Idrīsīden in ʿAsīr. Ein historischer Überblick, in: Die Welt des Islams, New Series, Bd. 21, Nr. 1/4 (1981), pp. 164–192. At JSTOR.
- I. Ghanem, The Legal History of 'A Sir (Al-Mikhlaf Al-Sulaymani), Arab Law Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Aug., 1990), pp. 211–214. At JSTOR.