Khaz'al al-Ka'bi

Khaz'al Bin Jabir

Khaz'al in military uniform
Emir of Mohammerah
Monarchy June 1897 - April 1925
June 1897
Maz'al Jabir al-kaabi
Sheikhdom abolished
Sheikh of Sheikhs of Banu Kaab tribe
Dynasty Al Bu Chassib
Father Jabir al-Kaabi
Born 18 August 1863
Mohammerah,
Died 24 May 1936 (aged 72)
Tehran, Imperial State of Iran
Religion Islam
Occupation Emir of Mohammerah

Khaz'al bin Jabir bin Merdaw al-Ka'bi (Arabic: الشيخ خزعل بن جابر بن مرداو الكعبي‎) (18 August 1863 – 24 May 1936), GCIE, KCSI, Muaz us-Sultana, and Sardar-e-Aqdas (Most Sacred Officer of the Imperial Order of the Aqdas),[1] was the independent Emir of the Sheikhdom of "Mohammerah",[2] located today in the Khuzestan province of Iran.

Historical background

In early 1920s, the southern part of Khuzestan, with its large Arab population, was semi-autonomous under the rule of Sheikh Khaz'al. An ambitious local Arab leader, Khaz'al was nominally under the jurisdiction of the Qajar king. In reality, he was protected and controlled by the British, whose 10,000-man army, the South Persia Rifles, operated with immunity in southern Iran. The British, without notifying Iran, were also providing Khaz'al with meager shares of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. They even considered Khazal as a possible king for Iraq or for an independent principality in southern Persia. Khaz'al was also the darling of many Sunnite Iraqi nationalists, who sought to foment dissent among Iran’s Arab population by referring to Khuzestan as Arabestān and glorifying Khaz'al as its independent “Sultan”.[3]

The tribal leaders of the Bani Kaab, an Arab tribe which had originally come from the area of what is now Kuwait in the 16th century, had often been the Imperial-appointed tax farmers for the entire province for many years after the fall of the Msha'sha'iya. The Bani Kaab were the largest and most powerful tribe in the province. In the early 19th century the Bani Kaab had dissolved into a number of rival clans that often clashed and feuded with each other.

Of these factions, the Muhaisin clan, led by Jabir al-Kaabi, became the strongest and under his leadership the Bani Kaab were reunified under a single authority, the capital of the tribe being moved from the village of Fallahiyah to the flourishing port city of Mohammerah. Unlike previous leaders of the Bani Kaab, Jabir maintained law and order, and established Mohammerah as a free port and sheikhdom, of which he was Sheikh. Jabir also became the Imperial-appointed governor-general of the province .

The Anglo-Persian Oil Company

Following the discovery of oil in Mohammerah-controlled territory , the British moved quickly to establish control over the vast oil resources in the province, which culminated in the foundation of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company in 1909. The British established a treaty with Khaz'al, whereby in exchange for their guaranteed support and protection against any external attack , he would also guarantee to maintain internal security and not interfere with the process of oil extraction. As part of the treaty they were given a monopoly of drilling in the province in return for an annual payment to both Khaz'al and the Shah, though the profits of the company vastly exceeded the annual payments.

Sheikh Khaz'al Bin Jabir with Sir Hugh Bell

British influence in southern Persia mainly derived from the relationships which had been established between the British government and various tribal leaderships, including especially Khaz'al and the Bakhtiari khans, and also, though less importantly, the Qawāmis of Shiraz and many of the minor khans of the Persian Gulf littoral.[4]

Khaz'al as an important tribal leader was a member of South Persia Rifles.[5] and when he asked for British support against central government of Iran, the answer was "... you remain faithful to the Shah and act in accordance with our advice".[6]

Honours

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Sardar Aghdas". Dehkhoda Dictionary. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  2. ↑ "'File 53/75 (D 156) Shaikh Khazal's Claim against Kuwaiti Merchants' [13r] (34/140)". British Archives. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  3. ↑ MILANI, MOHSEN M. "IRAQ vi. PAHLAVI PERIOD, 1921-79". Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  4. ↑ Cronin, Stephanie. "Great Britain v. British influence during the Reżā Shah period, 1921-41". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
  5. ↑ Safiri, Floreeda. "SOUTH PERSIA RIFLES". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
  6. ↑ Wright, Denis. "HARDINGE, ARTHUR". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 2011-06-15.

External sources

External links