History of Kuwait 16685 225142747 2008-07-12T02:52:37Z Barticus88 1396480 [[Persian]]→[[Persian language]] in the holy name of [[WP:DPL|WikiProject Disambiguation]] using [[WP:POP|Popups]] {{Cleanup|date=February 2007}} The country of '''[[Kuwait]]''' has a '''[[History]] which dates to ancient times. ==Ancient History== ===The Greeks=== In 3rd century BC the Ancient Greeks colonized the island [[Failaka]] under [[Alexander the Great]] and named it "Ikaros". Some believe the name came from an island off the [[Greece|Greek]] coast, where it is believed that the mythical [[Icarus (mythology)|Icarus]] was buried, which resembled Failaka. Others however believe it was named so due to its heat and the belief that it was close to the sun. For recent archaeological activities at Failaka visit the website of Kuwaiti-Slovak Archaeological Mission (KSAM) [http://www.kuwaitarchaeology.org/]. ==The Founding of Kuwait== ===The Anaza and Bani Utbah (Early Migration and Settlement)=== [[Kuwait]] was founded in the early [[eighteenth century]] by the [[Bani Utbah]] in the year 1705. Kuwait was then known as Guraine, the [[Bani Utbah]] established the town and port of guraine and called it Kuwait ("little fort," from kut, "fort", ultimately derived from [[Persian language|Persian]] kud, meaning "city") In the first half of the eighteenth century, the great grandfather's of the Al-Khalifa, Al-Sabah, Al-Jalahma arrived at Kuwait.<ref> The watheeka magazine (third edition) second year, July 1983, p14 </ref> They were desendants of the [[Anazia]] tribe who gradually migrated in the early [[eighteenth century]] from [[Nejd]] to the shores of the [[Persian Gulf]]. According to one local tradition, the Sabahs migrated south to flee drought in [[Najd]] in 1710, but found conditions bleaker. Finding conditions no better there, they finally migrated north to Kuwait where they found water and consequently settled. On the last leg of the journey they moved to the north and arrived at Kuwait in 1716. When they arrived at Kuwait, the great grandfather's of the Al-Khalifa, Al-Sabah, Al-Jalahma found a settlement by the [[Bani Utbah]] . Possibly the [[Bani Utbah]] had built a fortress from which the name Kuwait, a diminutive of ''kut'' or fortress, derives. [[Al Khalifa]] , [[Al-Sabah]] ,and [[Al Jalahma]] then entered under the umbrella of the [[Bani Utbah]]. They also raised the Al Sulaimi flag which belongs to the [[Bani Utbah]] .This flag was mentioned by lorimer in his gazetteer as being a stripped flag with four red stripes and 3 white stripes <ref> Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman, and Central Arabia, Geographical, Volume 1, John Gordon Lorimer,1905 <ref>. It was raised on their ships during wartime and in the pearl season and on special occasions such as weddings and during Eid and in the “ Ardha of war”.<ref> Picture of the Al Sulaimi Flag in the "Ardha of War" which was celebrated in Eid Al Fitr in Muharraq 1956 which was attended by Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, ex Ruler of Bahrain, http://www.attawash.com/albinali.jpg </ref> The [[Bani Utbah]] migrated from Kuwait in 1732 to Zubarah and Furaiha in Qatar passing the torch to the [[Al Khalifa]] ,[[Al-Sabah]],and [[Al Jalahma]]. ===Early Political and Economic Development=== ====Early Economy==== Peace in a region dominated by the Bani Khalid, as well as internal problems that kept other regional powers from interfering, allowed the [[Al Khalifa]]) ,[[Al-Sabah]]),and [[Al Jalahma]] to develop new maritime skills. Kuwait had arguably one of the best natural harbors in the [[Persian Gulf]]; its location allowed it to benefit from the caravan trade to [[Aleppo]] and [[Baghdad]], [[Shatt al-Arab]] trade, and from smuggling trade into [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] territory that high tariffs encouraged. the [[Al Khalifa]] ,[[Al-Sabah]] ,and [[Al Jalahma's]] self-sufficiency to the desert was abandoned as they became linked to this trading network that included trade in horses, wood, spices, coffee, dates and especially pearls; Kuwait was located within close sail of the pearl banks that stretched down the [[Persian Gulf]] coast. In the summer, boats sailed for pearls; in the winter, they turned to [[entrepôt]] trade. ====Early Political Environment==== Trade became the basis of the economy and the [[Al Khalifa]] ,[[Al-Sabah]],and [[Al Jalahma]] developed new political and social arrangements to organize life in a settled economy. Tribal traditions were retained, but were placed within a complex occupational and social stratification; trade became tightly and hierarchically organized. Pearl divers were distinguished occupationally from ropepullers, captains, or merchants. The proceeds from the pearling industry were divided on the basis of occupation; at the top, a stratum of merchants, the core of which composed of the [[Al Khalifa]]) ,[[Al-Sabah]],and [[Al Jalahma]] , became the elite. Above the merchants were the [[Al-Sabah]] family, who early on enjoyed some preeminence. =====The al-Sabahs===== Soon after the colony was founded, a Sabah became leader, ruling until his death in 1762. One tradition has it that political preeminence went to the Sabahs as part of an explicit agreement: in 1716 the heads of the [[al-Khalifa]], [[al-Sabah]], and [[al-Jalahima]] agreed to give the Sabahs preeminence in government and military affairs, subject to consultation, while the Khalifas controlled local commerce and the Jalahima maritime affairs. Another account has it that after reaching Kuwait the Bani Utub held a council and elected a representative to go to [[Basra]] to explain their peaceful intent to the [[Ottomans]]. The man chosen was a Sabah, [[Sabah I bin Jaber]]. Sabah diplomacy may have also been important with neighbouring tribes, especially as Bani Khalid power declined. Many theories exist as to the source and origin of Sabah power. The Sabahs, because of their role in the caravan (as opposed to sea) trade, developed closer ties with the desert, and as a result became the tax collectors there, an important revenue source. Their rise has also been attributed to administrative functions; control of the harbor required administration and also increased the Shaikh's power by giving him access to resources independent of the desert, hence some independence from tribal alliances. The port also gave the Shaikh a territorial base just as Kuwait's entrepôt economy, oriented to fixed land and sea routes, caused the nomads to become sedentary and desert grazing for shipbuilding, pearling, and long-distance trade. As the people became more linked to the land, the settled became ascendent over the bedu, and the stakes of politics changed. As the political unit was slowly tied to the land, the idea of a people to a place emerged and enhanced the Shaikh's power. In 1762 [[Sabah I bin Jaber|Sabah I]] died and was succeeded by his youngest son, [[Abdullah I Al-Sabah|Abdullah]]. Shortly after Sabah's death, in 1766, the al-Khalifa and, soon after, the al-Jalahima, left Kuwait en masse for [[Zubara]] in [[Qatar]]. Domestically, the al-Khalifa and al-Jalahima had been among the top contenders for power. Their emigration left the Sabahs in undisputed control, and by the end of [[Abdullah I Al-Sabah|Abdullah I]]'s long rule (1762-1812), Sabah rule was secure, and the political hierarchy in Kuwait was well established, the merchants deferring to direct orders from the Shaikh. By the 19th century, not only was the ruling Sabah much stronger than a desert Shaikh but also capable of naming his son successor. =====The Merchants===== Sabah family rule, though well established, remained limited until well into the [[20th century]]. This is because the merchants, owing to their financial power, could still check Sabah designs. The financial influence of the merchants came from their control of trade and imports, duties on which sustained the Shaikh. Because wealth was imbedded in movable property, refuge was tolerated by neighbouring Shaikhs, and Britain intervened only when important interests were at stake, [[secession]] was an effective merchant tactic. A large secession could reduce the shaikhdom's economic and military power and create a refuge of future dissidents. ===Foreign Relations=== Kuwait's first contact with [[British Empire|Britain]] occurred in [[1775]] when first plague, then the Persians,{{Fact|date=March 2007}} struck Basra and [[British East India Company|East India Company]] made arrangements to have the [[Persian Gulf-Aleppo Mail Service]] diverted through Kuwait. Also during this period, the British established a base in the region. The British became increasingly interested in Kuwait, and the [[Middle East]] in general, as the [[Germany|Germans]] made plans to extend their proposed [[Berlin]]-[[Baghdad]] [[railroad|railway]] into Kuwait, where they intended to locate a [[coaling station]]. {{Fact|date=March 2007}} ==The Assassination of Muhammad bin Sabah== Although Kuwait was nominally governed from Basra, the Kuwaitis had traditionally maintained a relative degree of autonomous status; their cultural integration with the emirates of the Gulf formed a network of tribal and trade relationships stronger than the tie to Ottoman Iraq (Anscombe 1997 p. x). In the 1870s, [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] officials were reasserting their presence in the Gulf, with a military intervention in 1871&mdash;which was not effectively pursued&mdash;where family rivalries in Kuwait and [[Qatar]] were breeding chaos. The Ottomans were bankrupt, and when the European banks took control of the Ottoman budget in 1881, additional income was required from Kuwait and the Arabian peninsula. Midhat Pasha, the governor of Iraq, demanded that Kuwait submit to Ottoman rule. The al-Sabah found diplomatic allies in the British Foreign Office. In May [[1896]], [[Shaikh]] [[Muhammad Al-Sabah]] was assassinated by his half-brother, [[Mubarak al-Sabah|Mubarak al-Sabah (the Great)]] who, in early [[1897]], was recognized, by the Ottoman sultan, as the ''qaimmaqam'' (provincial sub-governor) of Kuwait. *Anscombe, Frederick F. 1997. ''The Ottoman Gulf: The Creation of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar'', (Columbia University Press). ==Mubarak the Great== In July [[1897]], Mubarak invited the British to deploy [[gunboat]]s along the Kuwaiti coast. This led to what is known as the [[First Kuwaiti Crisis]], in which the Ottomans demanded that the British stop interfering with their empire. In the end, the Ottoman Empire backed down, rather than go to [[war]]. In January [[1899]], Mubarak signed an agreement with the British which pledged that Kuwait would never cede any territory nor receive agents or representatives of any foreign power without the British Government's consent. In essence, this policy gave Britain control of Kuwait's foreign policy. The treaty also gave Britain responsibility for Kuwait's national security. In return, Britain agreed to [[Grant (money)|grant]] an annual [[subsidy]] of 15,000 [[India]]n [[rupee]]s ([[Pound sterling|£]]1,500) to the ruling family. In 1911 Mubarak raised the taxes; therefore, three of wealthy business men "[[Ibrahim Al-Mudhaf]], [[Helal Al-Mutairi]], and [[Shamlan bin Ali]]" led a protest against Mubarak and they made [[Bahrain]] the main trade point for them which negatively affected the Kuwaiti economy. However, Mubarak went to [[Bahrain]] and apologized for raising the taxes and the three business men returned to [[Kuwait]]. In 1915 Mubarak the Great died and was succeeded by his son [[Jaber II Al-Sabah]] for just over one year until on his death in early 1917 his brother [[Sheikh]] [[Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah]] succeeded him. ==The Anglo-Ottoman Convention== Despite the Kuwaiti government's desire to either be independent or under British rule, in the [[Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913]], the British concurred with the Ottoman Empire in defining Kuwait as an "''[[autonomous caza]]''" of the Ottoman Empire and that the Shaikhs of Kuwait were not independent leaders, but rather ''qaimmaqam''s (provincial sub-governors) of the Ottoman government. The convention ruled that Shaikh Mubarak had authority over an area extending out to a radius of 80&nbsp;[[kilometer|km]], from the capital. This region was marked by a red circle and included the islands of [[Auhah Island|Auhah]], [[Bubiyan]], [[Failaka Island|Failaka]], [[Kubbar Island|Kubbar]], [[Mashian]], and [[Warba]]. A green circle designated an area extending out an additional 100 km, in radius, within which the ''qaimmaqam'' was authorized to collect [[tribute]] and [[taxes]] from the natives ==The Border War with Najd== After [[Aftermath of World War I|World War I]], the Ottoman Empire was defeated and the British invalidated the Anglo-Ottoman Convention, declaring Kuwait to be an "independent sheikhdom under British protectorate." The [[power vacuum]] left by the fall of the Ottomans sharpened conflict between Kuwait and [[Najd]]. Shaikh [[Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah]] insisted that Kuwait was in full control of all territory out to a radius of 140km from the capital; however, the ruler of [[Najd]], [[Abdul Aziz ibn Abdul Rahman ibn Saud]], argued, in September [[1920]], that the borders of Kuwait did not extend past the walls of the capital. ibn Saud noted that the Convention had never been ratified and that Kuwait was not effectively in control of the disputed territory. In May [[1920]] ibn Saud's [[Wahhabi]] [[Bedouin]]s of Nejd had attacked a Kuwaiti detachment in southern Kuwait, forcing its retreat. In October they raided [[Jahra]], 40km from the capital battles occurred in which the Kuwaitis were mostly victorious. In response, the British deployed gunboats, [[Armored car (military)|armored car]]s and [[aircraft]]. The [[Bedouin]]s withdrew. ==The Uqair Protocol== The 1920s and 30s saw the collapse of the [[pearl]] fishery and with it Kuwait's economy. This is attributed to the invention of the artificial cultivation of pearls. In response to the various Bedouin raids, the British High Commissioner in [[Baghdad]], [[Percy Cox|Sir Percy Cox]], imposed the [[Uqair Protocol of 1922]] which defined the boundaries between Iraq and Nejd; and between Kuwait and Nejd. On [[April 1]], [[1923]], Shaikh [[Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah|Ahmad al-Sabah]] wrote the British Political Agent in Kuwait, [[Major]] [[John More]], "I still do not know what the border between Iraq and Kuwait is, I shall be glad if you will kindly give me this information." More, upon learning that al-Sabah claimed the outer green line of the Anglo-Ottoman Convention ([[April 4]]), would relay the information to Sir Percy. On [[April 19]], Sir Percy stated that the British government recognized the outer line of the Convention as the border between Iraq and Kuwait. This decision limited Iraq's access to the [[Persian Gulf]] at 58 km of mostly [[marsh]]y and [[swamp]]y coastline. As this would make it difficult for Iraq to become a [[navy|naval]] power (the territory did not include any deepwater [[harbour]]s), the Iraqi [[Monarch|King]] [[Faisal I of Iraq|Faisal I]] (whom the British installed as a puppet king in Iraq) did not agree to the plan. However, as his country was under British mandate, he had little say in the matter. Iraq and Kuwait would formally ratify the border in August. The border was re-recognized in [[1932]]. In 1941 on the same day as the German invasion of Russia ([[22 June]]) the British took total control over Iraq and Kuwait. (The British and Russians would invade the neighboring Iran in September of that year). By early 1961, the British had withdrawn their special court system, which handled the cases of foreigners resident in Kuwait, and the Kuwaiti Government began to exercise legal jurisdiction under new laws drawn up by an Egyptian jurist. On [[June 19]], [[1961]], Kuwait became fully independent following an exchange of notes with the United Kingdom. The boundary with [[Saudi Arabia]] was set in 1922 with the [[Uqair Protocol of 1922|Treaty of Uqair]] following the [[Battle of Jahrah]]. This treaty also established the [[Saudi-Kuwaiti neutral zone|Kuwait-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone]], an area of about 5,180 km². (2,000 sq. mi.) adjoining Kuwait's southern border. In December 1969, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement dividing the Neutral Zone (now called the Divided Zone) and demarcating a new international boundary. Both countries share equally the Divided Zone's petroleum, onshore and offshore. Kuwait's northern border with Iraq dates from an agreement made with [[Turkey]] in 1913. Iraq accepted this claim in 1932 upon its independence from Turkey. However, following Kuwait's independence in 1961, Iraq claimed Kuwait, under the pretense that Kuwait had been part of the [[Ottoman Empire]] subject to Iraqi suzerainty. In 1963, Iraq reaffirmed its acceptance of Kuwaiti sovereignty and the boundary it agreed to in 1913 and 1932, in the "Agreed Minutes between the State of Kuwait and the Republic of Iraq Regarding the Restoration of Friendly Relations, Recognition, and Related Matters." ==The Invasion and Rebuilding of Kuwait== In the 1980s Kuwait, fearful of Iran after the [[Islamic Revolution in Iran]], supported Iraq in the [[Iran-Iraq war]]. Kuwait sent large sums of money [5 Billion US$] to Iraq. As a consequence of this Iran attacked Kuwait's oil tankers, and Kuwait was forced to seek protection from the [[United States]], which sent warships to the Persian Gulf. Kuwait was then [[invaded]] and [[annexed]] by Iraq (under [[Saddam Hussein]]) in August [[1990]]. Hussein's primary justifications included a charge that Kuwaiti territory was in fact an Iraqi province, and that annexation was retaliation for "economic warfare" Kuwait had waged through [[slant drilling]] into Iraq's oil supplies. The monarchy was deposed after annexation, and an Iraqi governor installed. [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[George H.W. Bush]] condemned the invasion, and led efforts to drive out the Iraqi forces. Authorized by the [[United Nations Security Council]], an [[United States|American]]-led coalition of 34 nations fought the [[First Persian Gulf War]] to reinstate the Kuwaiti [[Emir]]. Following several weeks of aerial bombardment, a U.S.-led [[United Nations]] (UN) coalition began a ground assault on [[February 23]], [[1991]] that completely removed Iraqi forces from Kuwait in four days. After liberation, the UN, under [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 687|Security Council Resolution 687]], demarcated the Iraq-Kuwait boundary on the basis of the 1932 and the 1963 agreements between the two states. In November 1994, Iraq formally accepted the UN-demarcated border with Kuwait, which had been further spelled out in [[United Nations Security Council Resolution|Security Council Resolutions]] 773 and 883. Kuwait has spent more than five billion dollars to repair oil infrastructure damaged during 1990–1991 (see [[Kuwaiti oil fires]]). In [[2003]], Kuwait served as the major [[staging area|staging base]] for the coalition forces in the [[United States|U.S.]]-led [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]]; it was the only Arab nation to publicly [[Governments' pre-war positions on invasion of Iraq#Kuwait|support the invasion]]. Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah Became The Emir of Kuwait in [[January 18]], [[2006]] ==References== {{Reflist}} ==See also== * [[Original Utub]] * [[Kuwait]] * [http://www.kuwaitarchaeology.org/ Kuwaiti-Slovak Archaeological Mission (KSAM)] {{History of Asia}} [[Category:History of Kuwait| ]] [[Category:National histories|Kuwait]] {{Link FA|ar}} [[ar:تاريخ الكويت]] [[de:Geschichte Kuwaits]] [[es:Historia de Kuwait]] [[fr:Histoire du Koweït]] [[lt:Kuveito istorija]] [[pt:História do Kuwait]] [[ro:Istoria Kuweitului]] [[sr:Историја Кувајта]]