The Qatari Issue in the Context of the Ottoman-British Rivalry in the Arabian Gulf Region (1871–1914) A Historical Study in Light of Ottoman Archival Documents

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of History - College of Arts and Social Sciences - Sultan Qaboos University

2 Assistant Professor, Department of History, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University

3 Professor - Department of History, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University

Abstract

This study examines the Qatari Issue, also known as the Ottoman-British rivalry in the Qatar Peninsula, and highlights the mechanisms employed by the Ottoman Empire to defend its sovereign rights in Qatar against the increasing British influence between 1871 and 1914 CE. 
The study seeks to answer the following key questions: 
- What were the major milestones in the development of the Qatari Issue? 
- What were the early signs and stages of the Ottoman-British struggle over Qatar? - How did the Ottoman government respond to Britain’s growing influence in Qatar? 
- Was the diplomatic approach sufficient to resolve the Qatari Issue? 
The study aims to explore the chronological evolution of the Qatari Issue, uncover the history of Ottoman-British competition over Qatar amid Ottoman assertions of sovereignty over Al-Zubarah and Al-‘Udayd, and examine the Ottoman position regarding Britain’s expanding influence. It also seeks to shed light on Ottoman-British negotiations aimed at reaching a final resolution to the Qatari Issue. 
This research relies extensively on Ottoman archival documents, providing a detailed examination of the formation and development of the Qatari Issue and offering insights into the Ottoman government's official stance and policies opposing British expansion in Qatar. 
The nature of the topic necessitated the use of a historical methodology, aligned with a historical approach, to address the study's central research problem. The study concluded with a set of findings, the most prominent of which is that the intensification of the Ottoman-British conflict in Qatar—particularly following the success of Midhat Pasha’s campaign in Al-Ahsa in 1871—culminated in what became historically known as the "Qatar Question." This question fundamentally originated from Britain’s skepticism regarding the Ottoman Empire’s sovereignty over the regions of Al-Zubarah and Al-Udayd.
 

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