Battle of Jarrab

Battle of Jarrab
Part of the Unification of Saudi Arabia and the Second Saudi-Rashidi War (1915–1918)
A picture of King Abdulaziz with Sheikh Faisal bin Sultan Al-Dawish next to him, taken by the English officer Shakespeare the day before the Battle of Jerab where Shakespeare was killed.
Date 24 January 1915[1] Location Jarrab Lake, North of town of Al Majma'ah, Arabia Result Jabal Shammar victory Change of course of the Arab revolt
Belligerents
Jabal Shammar Supported by: Ottoman Empire	Nejd and Hasa Supported by: British Empire
Commanders and leaders
Saud bin Abdulaziz Saud bin Saleh Al Sabhan †	Abdulaziz Ibn Saud William Shakespear †
Strength
1,500–1,800	2,000
Casualties and losses
Few	600 killed

The Battle of Jarrab was a territorial battle between the Al Saud and their traditional enemies, the Al Rashid on 24 January 1915.^[1][2] It was a proxy battle of World War I and the Second Saud-Rashidi War between the British-supported Saudis and the Ottoman-supported Rashidis.^[2]

Rashidi forces led by young Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Rashid defeated the forces of Ibn Saud.^[3] The main significance of the battle was the death of Ibn Saud's British Military Advisor, Captain William Shakespear.^[4] The reason for the defeat of Ibn Saud's forces is given by both Arabic and British sources as the withdrawal of the Ajman tribe led by Dhaydan bin Hithlain from the battlefield.^[4]

The defeat and the death of William Shakespear diminished the relationship between Ibn Saud and the British changing the course of the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire.^[5] It also resulted other negative conclusions for Ibn Saud, including a year-long struggle with the Ajman tribe, namely the Battle of Kanzan, and the decrease in his newly emerged prestige.^[5]

See also

• List of wars involving Saudi Arabia

References

1. Leslie McLoughlin (21 January 1993). Ibn Saud: Founder of A Kingdom. Springer. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-349-22578-1.
2. Jacob Goldberg (January 1986). "Captain Shakespear and Ibn Saud: A Balanced Reappraisal". Middle Eastern Studies. 22 (1): 74–88. doi:10.1080/00263208608700651. JSTOR 4283097.
3. Christoph Baumer (2021). "Lt Col Hamilton's 1917 Political Mission to Emir Abd Al Aziz Al Saud of Najd". Asian Affairs. 52: 8. doi:10.1080/03068374.2021.1878737. S2CID 232245475.
4. Khalid Abdullah Krairi (October 2016). John Philby and his political roles in the Arabian Peninsula, 1917-1953 (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Birmingham. p. 245. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
5. Gamal Hagar (1981). Britain, Her Middle East Mandates and the Emergence of Saudi Arabia, 1926-1932: A Study in the Process of British Policy-making and in the Conduct and development of Britain's Relations with Ibn Saud (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Keele. p. 28. Retrieved 15 May 2021.

Literature

• Travellers in Arabia, Eid Al Yahya, Stacey International (2006). ISBN 0-9552193-1-0 (9780955219313).
• The Historical Journal 14 (3) (September 1971), pp. 627–633.
• H. St. John Philby. (1930). Arabia, London.