# Wahhabi Forces Occupy Buraimi and Besiege Sohar (1800)

URL: https://allhistories.com/oman/timeline/1800-wahhabi-forces-occupy-buraimi-and-besiege-sohar
Location: Buraimi, Oman
Themes: main-event

In 1800 Wahhabi forces from the north occupied the Buraimi oasis and besieged Qais bin Ahmad in Sohar, according to Wikipedia. They were followers of the Saudi-Wahhabi movement of central Arabia, which was then expanding toward the Gulf coast and demanded allegiance and tribute from neighbouring rulers. Buraimi stands on the route between the Batinah coast and the Gulf, and Wikipedia describes Al-Hillah Fort there as a site of conflict because it lay on the overland route between Sohar and the Persian Gulf. Omani authority was divided between the imam in the interior and the ruler at Muscat. The Buraimi article records the later rise of local families such as the Al Nuaimi. The invasion marked the start of a long contest over Buraimi. Wikipedia's Buraimi article records that over time the oasis came under the influence of Al Saud, with local families such as the Al Nuaimi later seizing control, and that Mohammed bin Ali Al Nuaimi built Al-Hillah Fort on the overland route between Sohar and the Gulf. Disputes over the oasis continued into the twentieth century. At this point in the timeline (1800), Sultan bin Ahmad (1792 – 1804) ruled Muscat with the title Sayyid, as head of the Al Bu Said dynasty.

## Why it matters
The Wahhabi advance created the first major threat to Omani independence from the Arabian interior. Buraimi remained a flashpoint into the twentieth century.

Ruler at the Time: [Sultan bin Ahmad](https://allhistories.com/oman/rulers/sultan-bin-ahmad)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Sultan bin Ahmad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan_bin_Ahmad)
- [Wikipedia — Buraimi Oasis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buraimi_Oasis)