What is happening in Arabia in 1914CE
In northern Arabia, the al-Rasheed’s became pre-occupied by a struggle with the sheikdom of Kuwait, and this allowed the Saudis to recapture their old capital, Riyadh, and much of their earlier territory.
In the 1880s, having tightened their control over Iraq, Ottoman forces conquered down into the Arabian peninsula, as far as south as Qatar. Threats to bring Kuwait under direct rule by Ottoman officials caused the small state to cultivate close ties with Britain. In 1892, a group of small emirates further south along the Gulf coast became protectorates of British and became known as the Trucial States.
In Oman, continuing friction between the coastal ruling class and the interior tribes has been ended (for the time being) by a peace agreement, brokered by the British. This has confirmed the sultan’s sovereignty over the entire country but given the inland tribes a large measure of autonomy.
Since the opening of the Suez Canal, the British port of Aden has acquired much greater strategic importance, both as a naval base (the British navy uses it as a coaling station) and as a trading port. The British have safeguarded Aden’s security through alliances with local Yemeni rulers.
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