Muscat Rebellion
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The Muscat rebellion was an uprising in 1913 led by Sālim bin Rāshid al-Kharūṣī against the authority of the Sultans of
Muscat and Oman The Sultanate of Muscat and Oman (), also known briefly as the State of Muscat and Oman () during the rule of Taimur bin Feisal, was a sovereign state that encompassed the present-day Sultanate of Oman and parts of present-day United Arab Emir ...
. The rebels established their own state, the Ibāḍī imamate. Its causes lay in a deep-rooted rivalry between northern and southern tribes of Muscat and Oman. It began in May 1913 in
Tanuf Nizwa () is the largest city in Ad Dakhiliyah Region in Oman and was the capital of Oman proper. Nizwa is about (1.5 hour drive) from the Omani capital Muscat. The population is estimated at around 83,544 people. Nizwa is one of the oldest ...
. On 5 June, the rebels captured
Nizwa Nizwa () is the largest city in Ad Dakhiliyah Region in Oman and was the capital of Imamate of Oman, Oman proper. Nizwa is about (1.5 hour drive) from the Omani capital Muscat. The population is estimated at around 83,544 people. Nizwa is o ...
, and on 20 June they captured
Izki Izki () is a town in the Ad Dakhiliyah region of northeastern Oman. It is located at c. altitude, and has a population of 35,173 (2003 census). The archaeological landmarks are still evidence of the ancient heritage of the state, where ...
. By this time, the rebels had also surrounded Samail. On 24 June, the rebels captured al-`Awabi. By July, the situation had gotten so dire that the British government sent a small garrison to Natrah to aid the sultan of Muscat, to no avail. In August, the rebels captured
Samail Samāʾil () is a ''Wilayah'' (Province) located in Muscat Region of the Sultanate of Oman. It is surrounded by a range of towering mountains, and its valley, Wadi Samail, is approximately from the capital Muscat. The population is around 40, ...
. Also in August, the rebels launched an offensive towards the coastal side of al-Jabal al-Akhda, and Nakhl was besieged on the 4th. Nakhl ultimately fell at the beginning of April 1914, after the desertion of several of the imam's reinforcement contingents. In April 1914 British cruisers bombarded Barkah and Qaryat to dislodge rebels from those settlements. In January 1915 the rebels began a long-anticipated attack on
Muscat city Muscat (, ) is the Capital (political), capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Muscat (governorate), Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Musc ...
. On the 7th the Imam had gathered with 400 men at Bidbid. Al-Watayyah was raided on the 8th, and on the 9th firing was heard in the nearby hills. The rebels advanced to the village of Bawshar and gathered at the village of al-Khuwayr. The two forces merged and advanced to al-Watayyah by the 10th. They were opposed by 750
British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...
troops, consisting of detachments of the 102nd Prince of Wales's Own Grenadiers (led by Colonel S. M. Edwardes and stationed at Bayt al-Falaj) and the
95th Russell's Infantry The 95th Russell's Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1813, when they were raised as the 2nd Battalion of the Russell Brigade for the Princely state of Hyderabad. Until 1853, the regim ...
(commanded by Colonel F. F. Major and stationed at Ruwi village). A small detachment of Arab retainers was to protect Dar Sayt, but actually fled when fighting began. On 11 January, the British Indian Army launched a large-scale counterattack, and the 750 troops succeeded at driving back around 3,000 rebels troops, causing 350 casualties with the rebel chief Isa bin Salih being wounded and his brother killed. By April 1915, German agents had arrived in the Ibāḍī imamate. The general perception of the rebels at that time was that Germans had more or less emerged victorious in the war in Europe, that
Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...
and his followers had converted to
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, and that it was prudent to continue fighting the British and the sultan until they would be driven out of
Arabia The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...
. Thus, they rejected all attempts by Britain to broker a peace settlement, which the British government desired due to a need for British troops elsewhere. In July the forts of Rushtaq and Hazam surrendered to the Rebels. However, the Sultan also recaptured some settlements in late July, such as the port of Daghmar and headquarters of Hayl al-Gha. In June 1916, the Imam's forces attacked Bahi and al-Rustaq. While the former assault succeeded, the latter assault failed and the rebels opted to besiege it instead. al-Rushtaq finally fell in August 1917. Stalemate ensued for the following years. The final battle took place in April 1920 in al-Hazm, where a rebel assault was once again repelled. The rebels sued for peace in September 1920, ending the war.


External links


IMAM SALIM B. RASHID AND THE IMAMATE REVIVAL IN OMAN


References

{{Reflist 1910s conflicts 1910s in Oman Middle Eastern theatre of World War I