Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 240 Arabs
The plan was perfect, but he had to change it after only a few days because Trabison had fallen.

What's even more devastating is that he didn't learn this news from Ottoman messengers; he learned it from Iranian frontline newspapers. As for why he had Iranian newspapers… that's a separate issue.

The fall of Trabison meant that all previous plans had to be restarted. Because there were few troops behind Trabison, Iran could easily launch an offensive into the Anatolian interior and also threaten Erzurum, the logistical center of the entire army, located behind Van.

“This is not a good idea. Send the troops that are reinforcing Van to Erzurum first, and also bring some more people from Baghdad.”

Nizam Pasha issued an order and requested Istanbul to send reinforcements as soon as possible.

The fact that the Ottoman army's intelligence capabilities were inferior to those of the enemy's newspapers would raise serious questions about the quality of their army if this got out.
Meanwhile, in Kuwait City, Sabah and other Arab tribal chiefs gathered together. In the past, this small city had few people, but now there are more than 10,000 people outside the city, all of whom are the elite of their tribes.

"Gentlemen, we have reached the final moment! It is time to settle things with the Ottomans."

The sheikhs present here all have some degree of enmity with the Ottomans, and Iran has gone to great lengths to persuade them to switch sides to Tehran. Now, it's time for them to make a deal with Iran.

"I don't know, and I don't want to know, what the outcome of the negotiations between Iran and you will be, but now we must stand together."

"That's right!"

All the sheikhs were satisfied with the conditions offered by Iran. This was no longer the era where nomadic life was sufficient. The Ottoman Empire had no influence over them, but Iran had far more than that.

They have become inseparable from Iranian goods and gold coins. The railway from Dhahran to Khufuf is almost completed, and the hired workers are paid more than those who herd livestock. Over time, they have become railway workers or run small businesses in the city, and no one wants to herd livestock anymore.

They disrupted the tribal organization; shouldn't the chief resist? The problem is, Iran simply showered them with bribes. They themselves are shareholders in some Iranian companies, which are far more profitable than agriculture and animal husbandry. With money, who would resist?

Furthermore, once they join Iran, they will all become Iranian nobles, possessing their own titles and official residences. They also won't need to worry about tribal affairs, as Iran will help them govern.

The greatest gift was the construction of a railway around the Persian Gulf, starting from Abadan, passing through Kuwait City, and finally reaching Dhahran, all without the tribe having to pay for it.

These are conditions that neither Egypt nor the Ottomans have offered. By taking advantage of the current war between Iran and the Ottomans, they can maximize their own interests. Then, whatever they want, Iran will provide. "Alright, in that case, everyone, let's get started. What we need to do is use our maximum strength to inflict maximum damage on the Ottoman army; Iran will handle the rest."

The chieftains formed an army and began harassing the Ottomans in Mesopotamia, declaring a holy war against them, which was another bad news for the Ottomans.

However, not all Arabs opposed the Ottomans. The Hejaz region, centered around Mecca and Medina, pledged allegiance to the Ottomans again after breaking away from Egyptian rule, recognizing the Ottoman Sultan as the sole Caliph.

Ali ibn Muhammad was appointed by the Ottoman Empire as the Emir and Mecca Sharif of the Hejaz region. In exchange, they had to recognize the legitimacy of the Ottoman Empire, even if there were heretics like Egypt and Iran.

This time was no different; Mecca Sharif still insisted on the status of the Ottoman Sultan. But Ali clearly sensed a change in the situation, as he was quite surprised to see many Arab tribes switching their allegiance to Iran.

In 1517, after Ottoman Sultan Selim I conquered Cairo, he captured Mutawakkil, a descendant of the Abbasid Caliph and the nominal Caliph of the Arab Empire, and proclaimed himself the new Caliph of the Islamic world. This move was met with widespread opposition from the Arabs.

At a crucial moment, Sharif, the Arab representative and hereditary ruler of Mecca, went to Cairo and handed over the keys to the holy city of Mecca to Selim I. This established the Ottomans' exalted status.

With the Arab representatives voluntarily surrendering, the Ottoman Empire's rule over the Arabs was relatively mild, largely characterized by indirect rule. Local nobles were allowed to manage their own territories, as long as they paid taxes and participated in regular labor and military service.

However, based on the principle of ethnic preference, during the height of the Ottoman Empire, local officials at all levels were almost exclusively Ottomans. Arabs were relegated to a secondary position. Therefore, they were long considered second-class citizens under the Ottoman Empire.

As the Ottoman Empire declined, fragmentation emerged within it. Local Arab nobles began to participate in the governance of provinces, even embezzling taxes and forming their own small groups. However, this was limited to large tribes and Sunnis; Shiites and smaller tribes not only did not benefit but also risked being swallowed up by other tribes. Therefore, they embarked on a high-stakes gamble, with their own rule at stake.

The Arab world fragmented into three parts: those supporting the Ottomans, those allied with Iran, and those divided up by European powers. Each part went its own way, but ultimately, none could escape being controlled by other nations. The root cause was the sheer number and power of the various families within these groups. From the fall of the Arab Empire in the 13th century, Arab settlements were fragmented, giving rise to numerous different factions. During the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Sultan also adopted a divide-and-rule strategy, given the vast size of the Arab settlements.

The Ottoman Empire courted various Arab families, dividing the land into different family-controlled territories and granting each family a degree of autonomy. Through this measure, Türkiye maintained firm control over Arab lands.

Their division has made other countries covetous of their lands. Thus, in recent years, France conquered Algeria, Britain exerted increasing influence in Egypt, and Iran supported Shia families to suppress the old ruling families of the peninsula—all manifestations of this division. Meanwhile, the treaty between Iran and Britain demarcated the Arabian Peninsula. For Egypt, Iran's reach is currently limited, and it also faces two other adversaries watching the region.

(End of this chapter)