The Al Qasimi ( ar, القواسم, spelled sometimes as Al Qassimi or Al Qassemi; plural: Al Qawasem ar, القواسم and, archaically, Joasmee) is an

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...

dynasty in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...

that rules

Sharjah Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. Sharjah is the capital ...

and

Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ( ar, رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة, historically Julfar) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, A ...

, today forming two of the seven emirates of the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at ...

. They are one of the longest reigning royal families in the Arabian peninsula. Historically, the "Qawasim" were a confederation of Sunni

tribes The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

in south eastern Gulf region surrounding the cities of Ras al-Khaimah and Sharjah; and faced strong rivalry with the

Omani empire The Omani Empire ( ar, الإمبراطورية العُمانية) was a maritime empire, vying with Portugal and Britain for trade and influence in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. At its peak in the 19th century, Omani influence or control ...

for naval domination along the Persian Gulf. Due to their allegiance to the

Wahhabi Wahhabism ( ar, ٱلْوَهَّابِيَةُ, translit=al-Wahhābiyyah) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist and fundamentalist movement associated with the reformist doctrines of the 18th-century Arabian Islamic scholar, theologian, preacher, ...

Emirate of Dir'iyah, the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading post ...

branded them as "pirates" and fought two major military campaigns against them in 1809 and 1819.

Origin

The dynasty claims to be descended from the Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monot ...

. During the 18th century, Arabian Peninsula witnessed a revolutionary socio-political and religious transformation under the reformers of the '' Muwahhidun'' (Unitarian) movement led by

Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab ; "The Book of Monotheism") , influences = , influenced = , children = , module = , title = Imam, Shaykh , movement = Muwahhidun (Wahhabi) , native_name = محمد ب� ...

, often referred to by outsiders as "Wahhabis". Embracing his ideals, Qasimis robustly championed the doctrines of the ''Muwahhidun'' in the Gulf region and became a close ally of the

Emirate of Diriyah The Emirate of Diriyah (), also known as the First Saudi State, was established in February 1727 (1139 AH). In 1744, the emir of Najdi town called Diriyah Muhammad bin Saud and the religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab formed an allianc ...

. By the early 19th century, Emirate of Dir'iyah had begun appointing Qasimi governors to implement Wahhabi religious doctrines and defend their interests. Thus, while Dir'iyah directly sought to consolidate their Arabian territories and its economic sovereignty, Qawasim acted as Wahhabi

privateers A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

for safeguarding the maritime interests of Dir'iyah in the Persian Gulf. With the help of Wahhabis; the Qawasim emerged as a maritime power based both in Ras Al Khaimah on the Southern shore of the

and Qishm,

Bandar Abbas Bandar Abbas or Bandar-e ‘Abbās ( fa, , , ), is a port city and capital of Hormozgān Province on the southern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf. The city occupies a strategic position on the narrow Strait of Hormuz (just across from Musa ...

and

Lingeh Bandar Lengeh ( fa, بندرلنگه, also Romanized as Bandar-e Lengeh, Bandar-e-Langeh and Bandar Langeh; also known simply as Lengeh, Linja, Linjah or Lingah) is a harbour city and capital of Bandar Lengeh County, in Hormozgan province of ...

on the Persian shore in the 19th-century.

Maritime power

With military and financial aid from the Emirate of Dir'iyah, Qasimis began spreading Wahhabi doctrines across the Gulf region. They had a powerful naval force and sought to end the rising European colonial infiltration on their trade and commercial routes. The British-allied

Omani Empire The Omani Empire ( ar, الإمبراطورية العُمانية) was a maritime empire, vying with Portugal and Britain for trade and influence in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. At its peak in the 19th century, Omani influence or control ...

, also a rival of the Emirate of Dir'iyah, had been the traditional enemy of the Qawasim over issues related to border disputes, religious differences and naval dominance in the Gulf. Al Qasimi's control of trade in the Persian Gulf area led to wars with Oman and eventually with Oman's ally, Britain, and to the Al Qasimi being labelled by the British as pirates. This led to the identification of the southern shore of the Persian Gulf as the 'Pirate Coast', although following the

General Maritime Treaty of 1820 The General Maritime Treaty of 1820 was a treaty initially signed between the rulers of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Great Britain in January 1820, with the nearby island state of Bahrain acceding to the treaty ...

and the 1853 Perpetual Maritime Peace, the various coastal emirates in the area became known as the

Trucial States The Trucial States ( '), also known as the Trucial Coast ( '), the Trucial Sheikhdoms ( '), Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was the name the British government gave to a group of tribal confederations in southeastern Arabia whose leaders had s ...

Beginning from 1804, there emerged a spike in Wahhabi-Qasimi naval attacks on

British fleet The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fran ...

and trading ships. Following decades of incidents where British shipping had fallen foul of the aggressive Al Qasimi, a first British expeditionary force embarked for Ras Al Khaimah in 1809, the

Persian Gulf campaign of 1809 The Persian Gulf Campaign, in 1809, was an operation by the British East India Company backed by the Royal Navy to force the Al Qasimi to cease their raids on British ships in the Persian Gulf, particularly on the Persian and Arab coasts o ...

. This campaign led to the signing of a peace treaty between the British and Hussan Bin Rahmah, the Al Qasimi leader. ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

.'' This treaty broke down in 1815 and, in 1819, the British mounted a second, altogether more successful, punitive campaign against the Al Qasimi in

under

William Keir Grant General Sir William Keir Grant, KCB, GCH (born William Keir; 25 May 1771''Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950'' – 7 May 1852) was a British Army general during the first half of the 19th century. He was born in Fife, Scotland,''1 ...

. The case against the Al Qasimi has been contested by the historian, author and current Ruler of Sharjah, Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi in his book ''The Myth of Arab Piracy in the Gulf'', in which he argues that the charges amount to a 'causus belli' by the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sout ...

, which sought to limit or eliminate the 'informal' Arab trade with India, and presents a number of internal communications between the Bombay Government and its officials, which shed doubt on many of the key charges made by British historian J.G. Lorimer in his seminal history of the affair. At the time, the Chief Secretary of the Government of Bombay, F. Warden, presented a minute which laid blame for the piracy on the

influence on the Al Qasimi and the interference of the

in native affairs. Warden also successfully argued against a proposal to install the Sultan of Muscat as Ruler of the whole peninsula. Warden's arguments and proposals likely influenced the shape of the eventual treaty concluded with the Sheikhs of the Gulf coast. That 1820 treaty asserted, 'There shall be a cessation of plunder and piracy by land and sea on the part of the Arabs, who are parties to this contract, for ever.' It then goes on to define piracy as being any attack that is not an action of 'acknowledged war'. The 'pacificated Arabs' agreed, on land and sea, to carry a flag being a red rectangle contained within a white border of equal width to the contained rectangle, 'with or without letters on it, at their option'. This flag was to be a symbol of peace with the British government and each other. The treaty having been signed by Keir Grant and all of the Trucial Rulers, the Government in Bombay made clear that while it was happy with Grant's management of the military expedition, it was most dissatisfied with his leniency over the coastal tribes and desired, 'if it were not too late, to introduce some conditions of greater stringency'. Grant's response was spirited, pointing out that to have enforced extreme measures would have meant pursuing the chiefs into the interior rather than accepting their voluntary submission. This would have contravened Grant's instructions. In the end, Bombay allowed the treaty to stand. Alongside their stronghold in the Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman the Qawasem were active both militarily and economically in the

Gulf of Aden The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Chan ...

and as far west as the

Mocha Mocha may refer to: Places * Mocha Island, an island in Biobío Region, Chile * Mocha, Chile, a town in Chile * Mocha, Ecuador, a city in Ecuador * Mocha Canton, a government subdivision in Ecuador * Mocha, a segment of Kutiyana (Vidhan Sabha c ...

on the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

. They had numerous commercial ties with the

Somalis The Somalis ( so, Soomaalida 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒆𐒖, ar, صوماليون) are an ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The Lowland East Cushitic Somali language is the shared mo ...

, leading vessels from Ras Al Khaimah and the

to regularly attend trade fairs in the large ports of

Berbera Berbera (; so, Barbara, ar, بربرة) is the capital of the Sahil region of Somaliland and is the main sea port of the country. Berbera is a coastal city and was the former capital of the British Somaliland protectorate before Hargeisa. It ...

and

Zeila Zeila ( so, Saylac, ar, زيلع, Zayla), also known as Zaila or Zayla, is a historical port town in the western Awdal region of Somaliland. In the Middle Ages, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela identified Zeila (or Hawilah) with the Bib ...

. In the 1830s the Isaaq Sultan Farah Guled and Haji Ali penned a letter to

Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi (1781–1866) was the Sheikh of the Qawasim and ruler variously of the towns of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, Jazirah Al Hamra and Rams, all Trucial States in their time and now part of the United Arab Emirates. Br ...

requesting military assistance and joint religious war against the British.

The Al Qasimi rulers of Ras Al Khaimah (capital to 1819) and Sharjah (capital from 1820)

# Sheikh Rahma bin Matar Al Qasimi (1722–1760) # Sheikh

Rashid bin Matar Al Qasimi Sheikh Rashid bin Matar Al Qasimi was Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah from 1747–1777, as head of the Al Qasimi maritime federation. Rashid bin Matar ruled at a time when maritime violence was prevalent throughout the Persian Gulf, follow ...

(1760–1777) # Sheikh

Saqr bin Rashid Al Qasimi Saqr bin Rashid Al Qasimi was the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah from 1777–1803 as head of the Al Qasimi maritime federation. He acceded following the resignation of his father, Sheikh Rashid bin Matar Al Qasimi, the head of the Al Qas ...

(1777–1803) # Sheikh

(1803–1808) # Sheikh

Hassan bin Rahma Al Qasimi Hassan bin Rahma Al Qasimi was the Sheikh (ruler) of Ras Al Khaimah from 1814–1820. He was accused by the British of presiding over a number of acts of maritime piracy, an assertion he denied. Despite signing a treaty of peace with the British ...

(1814–1820) # Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi (1820–1866) # Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi (1866-1867)

List of Ras Al Khaimah rulers

# Sheikh Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi (1866 – May 1867) # Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi (May 1867 – 14 April 1868) # Sheikh

Salim bin Sultan Al Qasimi Sheikh Salim bin Sultan Al Qasimi was Ruler of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from 1868–1883. His rule was unusually tumultuous and marked by intrigue, the secession of Sharjah's dependencies and constant co ...

(14 April 1868 – 1869) # Sheikh

Humaid bin Abdullah Al Qasimi Sheikh Humaid bin Abdullah Al Qasimi was Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah from 1869–1900. He survived an attempt to unseat him by the Ruler of Sharjah, with whom he later allied. He re-united Ras Al Khaimah with its secessionist dependencies. Accession ...

(1869 – August 1900) # Sheikh

Khalid bin Ahmad Al Qasimi Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmad Al Qasimi was the Ruler of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from 1914–1924 and Ras Al Khaimah from 1914–1921. He acceded on the death of Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi. His rule was tumultuo ...

(1914–1921) # Sheikh

Sultan bin Salim Al Qasimi Sheikh Sultan bin Salim Al Qasimi was Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah from 1921–1948. His long and turbulent rule was characterised by internecine family and tribal disputes and he was finally removed as Ruler in a 1948 coup. Accession Sultan bin Sal ...

(19 July 1921 – February 1948) # Sheikh

Saqr bin Mohammad Al Qassimi Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi ( ar, صقر بن محمد القاسمي; c. 1918–1920 – 27 October 2010) was the Ruler of Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah from 1948 to 2010. On 10 February 1972, under his leadership, Ras Al Khaimah become ...

(February 1948 – 27 October 2010) # Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi (27 October 2010 – present)

List of Sharjah rulers

# Sheikh

(1803-1866) #Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi (1866 – 14 April 1868) # Sheikh

(14 April 1868 – March 1883) # Sheikh Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi (1869 – 1871) # Sheikh

Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi Sheikh Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi (1883–1914) was the Ruler of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from 1883–1914. He took control over Sharjah in a coup during the absence of his uncle, Salim bin Sultan Al Qasim ...

(March 1883 – 1914) # Sheikh

(13 April 1914 – 21 November 1924) # Sheikh

Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi II Sheikh Sultan II bin Saqr Al Qasimi was the Ruler of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from 1924–1951. His father having ceded the rule of Sharjah to Khalid bin Ahmad Al Qasimi, Sultan found himself dispossesse ...

(21 November 1924 – 1951) # Sheikh

Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi Saqr III bin Sultan Al Qasimi (1924 – November 9, 1993) was the ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from May 1951 to 24 June 1965. Saqr was the eldest son of Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi II, ...

(May 1951 – 24 June 1965) - first time ruling # Sheikh

Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi (1931—1972) was ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates from 1965 to 1972. Biography Sheikh Khalid acceded as Ruler of Sharjah following the exile of his cousin, Sheikh Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasi ...

(24 June 1965 – 24 January 1972) # Sheikh Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi (25 January 1972 – 1972) - second time ruling # Sheikh

Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi '' , spouse = Jawaher bint Mohammed , issue = Azza bin SultanMohammed bin Sultan, Crown Prince of Sharjah Bodour bint SultanNoor bint SultanHoor bint SultanKhalid bin Sultan , house = Al Qasimi , father = Mohammed b ...

(1972 – 17 June 1987) - first time ruling # Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al Qasimi (17–23 June 1987) removed previous sheikh during coup in Sharjah # Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi (23 June 1987 – present) - second time ruling after being restored

Current Al Qasimi rulers

Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi ( ar, سلطان بن محمد القاسمي; born 2 July 1939) is the sovereign ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah and a member of the Federal Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates. He has ruled Sharjah cont ...

, ruler of the emirate of

, UAE * Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, ruler of the emirate of

, UAE

Historical flags

File:Qawasim Flag.svg, Flag of the Al Qawasim prior to 1820. Flown after 1820 during war time only. The motto reads "''A victory from Allah and an imminent conquest''". File:Flag of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah.svg, Flag of the Al Qawasim proceeding the General Maritime Treaty of 1820.

External links

Al Qasimi Family TreePhoto of current Al Qasimi rulers

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qasimi Emirati Sunni Muslims Arab dynasties Wahhabi dynasties