The emirate of Ibn Rashid developed from a tribal confederation with no overall leadership, to what can be defined as a “tribal state.” It had a ruling dynasty and a developed administration concentrated in the Barzan palace, a capital that served as a service center for the population and a focus of power for the rulers and administration. It also had a standing army that managed to maintain law and order (according to Wallin [1979: 68], in Abdallah’s time, “one may go from one end of their land to another, bearing his gold on his head, without being troubled with any questions”).
At the same time, the tribal structure of society was maintained, actively used and manipulated by the rulers to organize their administration. The tribal territories remained intact and the tribes retained a high degree of autonomy in their economy, their social organization, and judiciary system. They could either give or refuse their support to the rulers, who would persuade them with presents and privileges. This interaction of features, characteristic for a state, and incorporating and exploiting elements that are typical for a tribal society, is what constitutes a “tribal state” or “tribal kingdom” (LaBianca 1999).
It is often assumed that the transformation from a tribal society into a higher level of integration and political organization is induced by external pressure (LaBianca 1999; al-Rasheed 1991: 48). In the case of the Shammar, the pressure came from three sides: the Wahabis,
Represented by the house of Ibn Sa’ud, the Egyptian army, and the Ottoman empire, all three of which strived for control of the region. The shammar felt the pressure, and when a strong leader appeared on the horizon, they rallied behind him.
Also instrumental in the forging of a tribal state is the ascendancy of a strong leader at the right moment. abdallah ibn Rashid was such a leader. His success was based on a combination of personal courage, charisma, and political shrewdness at a turning point in history.36 Originally, abdallah’s main asset was his military success, particularly in raids in which the other tribes were invited to take part — in return for a part in the booty. These raids and battles did much to cement the confederation. But he was also known for “his intrepidity and manliness, his strict justice, often inclining to severity, his unflinching adherence to his word and promise, of a breach of which he was never known to have rendered himself guilty; and, above all, to his unsurpassed hospitality and benevolence towards the poor, of whom, it was a well-known thing, none ever went unhelped from his door” (Wallin 1979: 68).
Bedouin tribes had no professional armies. Every man capable of carrying arms would take them up in raids and wars, afterward returning to his daily duties. Abdallah created a standing army, consisting largely of his followers, slaves, townsmen, and deserters from the Egyptian army. They functioned as permanent “peace-keeping forces” in the subjected domains and were sent on expeditions in the countryside to control the Bedouin and prevent their raiding. If and when tribesmen joined the forces, they did so for a raid or battle only, afterward returning to their tents.
Even though Hayil had been the place of residence for the Abda leaders for a long time, it was Abdallah who turned it into a center of power for the emirate. Euting, who visited the town in 1885, describes the various sectors: the Persian quarter, where Persian traders lived, and where he lodged with his companions; and a Slave quarter, which housed the 1,000 slaves that belonged to the emir (Euting 1914: vol. 1, 178-80). Numerous foreign traders lived in the town. International trade was actively concentrated in the town by the Rashidi rulers. some three-hours’ walk from Hayil was a much larger village, Kafar, which belonged to the Beni Tamim. Kafar was the main local market for basic supplies such as dates and cereals, which were exchanged for cattle, but was rarely visited by traveling tradesmen, who generally went to Hayil.
The decline in trade toward the end of the emirate, when most of the trade routes were diverted to Riyadh, had a major impact not only on the prosperity of the town but also on the loyalty of the tribes (Musil 1928b: 244). It has been shown above that the disintegration came when the tribes, one by one, deserted the ruling family and the confederation.
World History
