Emirate of Asir

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Emirate of Asir إمارة عسير (Arabic)
1907–1934
Flag[a]
Asir (light blue) in 1918, after the Armistice of Mudros Asir in 1924, before the Idrisid-Yemeni War Asir in 1932
Capital	Sabya 17°9′0.000″N 42°37′0.001″E / 17.15000000°N 42.61666694°E / 17.15000000; 42.61666694
Demonym(s)	Idrisi (singular) Adārisa (plural)
Government	Absolute monarchy
Emir of Asir
• 1906–1923	Muhammad ibn Ali al-Idrisi
• 1923–1926	Ali bin Muhammad al-Idrisi [ar]
• 1926–1934	Al-Hasan bin Ali al-Idrisi [ar][b]
History
• Idrisid revolt against the Ottoman Empire	1907–1916
• Independence	1916
• Protectorate of the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd	20 November 1930
• Idrisid Rebellion [ar]	1932–1933
• Formal annexation by Saudi Arabia	14 June 1934
Preceded by Succeeded by Yemen Vilayet Al Aidh Emirate Sheikdom of Upper Asir Saudi Arabia Kingdom of Yemen
Today part of	Saudi Arabia Yemen

The Emirate of Asir,^[c] also known as the Idrisid Emirate,^[3] was a short-lived state that existed from 1907 until its annexation by Saudi Arabia in 1934. Located in the Yemeni Red Sea coast of South Arabia,^[4] it was founded by Muhammad ibn Ali al-Idrisi, the great-grandson of ibn Idris, the founder of the Idrisiyya, a Sufi tariqa of Sunni Islam,^[4] in rebellion against the Ottoman Empire. The authority of the Emirate was restricted to a 80 mi (129 km) long strip of the Tihamah region and extending about 40 mi (64 km) inland to the scarp of highland Asir al-Sarah. Its capital was Sabya.^[5]

It gained the support of Great Britain during the First World War, and flourished until the death of Muhammad al-Idrisi in 1920. Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1918, the emirate expanded its domains, reaching as far as Hodeidah.^[6] The Emirate was gradually absorbed into the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd as a protectorate, and was formally annexed by its successor, Saudi Arabia, under the Treaty of Taif in 1934.

In the early 20th century, the Asir region was in chaos. De jure, the region was governed as the Sanjak of Asir, which was part of the Vilayet of Yemen, although the Ottomans only had de facto control over port cities. At the same time, various tribal chiefs ruled the hinterlands. Even in the areas of Ottoman control, anti-Turkish sentiment was brewing, leading to ethnic and sectarian conflicts between the Ottoman authorities and the local population. Due to these circumstances, Muhammad ibn Ali al-Idrisi began spreading his great-grandfather's teachings, as well as calling for the local inhabitants to maintain a stricter adherence to Islam. On 24 December 1908, Muhammad proclaimed himself Imam, after which, in January 1909, many tribes in the Asir region, including the population of Sabya and the Miklaf al-Shami, the Husaynids, the Ja'afarids, and the Damads [ar] recognized him as their Imam.^[7]

Throughout the autumn of 1909, Muhammad began his first efforts to subvert Ottoman power in the region. Idrisid troops subsequently took over Az Zaydiyah and Al Luḩayyah, and several tribes of Upper Asir aligned themselves with Al-Idrisi, leading to the Ottomans making peace with the Idrisids. In the treaty of al-Hafa'ir, which was ratified in January 1910, Al-Idrisi gained the position of Kaymakam of Asir, effectively making him a semi-independent ruler of the region under Ottoman Suzerainty.^[8]

In October 1910, a debate in the court over Sharia law reignited Al-Idrisi's rebellion with renewed strength. The renewed conflict saw military engagements at Abha, Al Luḩayyah, Midi and other locations. The Italo-Turkish War led to Italy assisting Asir with naval bombardment, arms, and ammunition, as the two states united against a common enemy. The outbreak of World War I led the Ottomans to seek a truce, which came into effect on 3 August 1914.^[8]

Following the outbreak of World War I, the British sought to recruit Arab allies, especially in the Arabian Peninsula, where the Ottoman-allied Kingdom of Yemen was considered a threat to the British Aden Protectorate. The British found Muhammad ibn Ali al-Idrisi a willing ally, since he had been at war with the Ottomans for 7 years.^[d][9] In April 1915, the British political resident at Aden, D. G. L. Shaw, had signed a "Treaty of Friendship and Goodwill," making al-Idrisi the first Arab leader to join the British against the Ottomans. The treaty, being the only known document to recognize al-Idrisi's rule over Asir, made the Emirate of Asir a state independent from Ottoman rule under the guarantee of the British Government.^[9]

With the British supply of weapons, the Idrisids had honored the treaty and engaged in Guerrilla warfare with the Ottoman garrison all over the region of Asir. In 1915, the Idrisids had captured the oil-rich Farasan Islands archipelago from the Ottomans, which the British had recognized, as a part of another treaty signed in 1917, as "part and parcel of the Idrisi's domain, in which his independence is assured."^[9]

After the signing of the Armistice of Mudros on 30 October 1918, the Arabian Peninsula became open for inter-Arab rivalry, and Britain was unable to honor the treaties it signed during the war.^[10] In 1919, the British, who were in occupation of Al Luḩayyah, Hodeidah, and the Island of Kamaran, handed Al Luḩayyah over to the Emirate of Asir as part of the Anglo-Idrisi treaty signed after the war, and in 1921, they handed over Hodeidah. By handing over Hodeidah to the Idrisids, the state had reached its widest borders.^[10]

The Emirate of Asir was an Imamate, where the Imam, the religious and political head of state, held absolute power and had the absolute legislative authority.^[10] During the war with the Ottomans, the Imam had issued all the commands and orders, and although the state had three other ministers alongside him, they were of no real authority. During the early years of the Idrisi movement, all matters of the law were handled by Muhammad ibn Ali al-Idrisi, although that changed after the movement's development into a state, where a supreme court was established.^[10]

The Idrisid dynasty, the rulers of the Emirate of Asir in the early 20th century, traced their lineage to ibn Idris (1758–1837). A native of Morocco, his ancestry is linked to Imam Idris bin Abdullah, a Hasan ibn Ali descendant. Ahmad al-Idrisi was a prominent religious scholar and Sufi who spent considerable time in Mecca spreading his teachings before settling in Sabya in the Tihama region of Yemen in 1828 at the invitation of his students. His ideas became popular, but his sons lacked his strong leadership, and the family's influence was mainly limited to mediating tribal disputes.^[11]

The political fortunes of the family were revived by ibn Idris's grandson, Muhammad ibn Ali al-Idrisi (1876–1923), who founded the Emirate of Asir. Born in Sabya, he furthered his religious education in Mecca and at al-Azhar in Egypt before returning to Asir at the beginning of the 20th century. He rallied the local tribes under his leadership, capitalizing on the waning influence of the Ottoman Empire in the region. By 1907, he had secured the allegiance of the tribes in Tihama Asir.^[11]

Muhammad al-Idrisi established the state's government (ḥukūma) in January 1909, along with a court consisting 5 qadis.^[12] The Idrisi ḥukūma was composed of four wuzara'; Muhammad Yahya Basuhi, Hummud Sirdab al-Hazimi, Yahya Zikri Hukmi, and Muhammad Tahir Ridwan. After the establishment of the government, he was joined by the Rijal Almaa tribes, and his influence spread from Al Qunfudhah to the north, and as far as Midi to the south.^[12]

• Headley, R.L.; Mulligan, W.E.; Rentz, G. (24 April 2012). "ʿAsīr". In Bearman, P.J. (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Islam (2nd online ed.). Brill. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_0804. ISSN 1573-3912.
• Reissner, Johannes (1981). "Die Idrīsīden in ʿAsīr. Ein historischer Überblick". Die Welt des Islams (in German). 21 (1/4): 164–192. doi:10.2307/1570009. ISSN 0043-2539. JSTOR 1570009.
• Al-Hadi, Muhammad (2020-06-06). "صراع الإمام يحيى والإمام محمد بن علي الإدريسي وموقف الدولة العثمانية منه (1911 ـــ 1914م)" [The conflict between Imam Yahya and Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Idrisi and the Ottoman Empire's position on it (1911-1914)]. Albaydha University Journal (in Arabic). 2 (1): 32–39. doi:10.56807/buj.v2i1.30. ISSN 2709-9695.