Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah

Infobox Pirate
name = Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah
رحمة بن جابر بن عتبة الجلهمي أو الجلاهمة
lived = c. 1760 – 1826


caption =
nickname =
type = Pirate
placeofbirth = Kuwait
placeofdeath = Qatar
allegiance = Al Jalahma clan
serviceyears = 1800s
base of operations = Persian Gulf
rank = Captain
commands = "Al-Manowar"
"Al-Ghatroushah"

Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah (Arabic: رحمة بن جابر بن عتبة الجلهمي أو الجلاهمة; c. 1760 – 1826) was an Arab ruler in the Persian Gulf and was described by his contemporary, the English traveller and author, James Silk Buckingham, as ‘the most successful and the most generally tolerated pirate, perhaps, that ever infest any sea.’ [James Silk Buckingham, "Travels in Assyria, Media, and Persia", Oxford University Press, 1829, p366]

As a pirate his reputation was for being ruthless and fearless, and he wore an eye-patch after he lost an eye in battle. He is described by the former British adviser and historian, Charles Belgrave, as 'one of the most vivid characters the Gulf has produced, a daring freebooter without fear or mercy' [Charles Belgrave, The Pirate Coast, G. Bell & Sons, 1966 p122] (perhaps paradoxically his first name means 'mercy' in Arabic). He was born in Qurain (modern day Kuwait) and began life as a horse dealer, and using the money he saved he brought his first ship and with ten companions began his career of buccaneering. So successful was he that he soon acquired a new craft: a 300 ton boat, manned by 350 men [Charles Belgrave, p122] . He would later have as many as 2000 followers, many of them black slaves. At one point his flagship was the 'Al-Manowar' (derived from English) [Charles Belgrave, p126] .

Al Jalahma's feud with the Al Khalifas began after he felt that the Al Jalahma clan, of which he was head, had not received due recognition for their role in taking Bahrain [Charles Belgrave, p124] . In 1783, the Al Khalifas and a number of allied tribes including the Al Jalahma conquered Bahrain. His feud saw him target Bahraini and Al Khalifa shipping, as well as the shipping of his tribe of al-Utoob العتوب, of which the Al Jalahma were also a member.

His alliances with regional powers tended to be on the basis of shared opposition to the Al-Khalifa: he formed an alliance with the first Saudi dynasty when it conquered Bahrain, and he founded the fort of Dammam in 1809. But after the Saudis’ expulsion, in 1816 he allied himself with the rulers of Muscat in their failed invasion of Bahrain [Charles Belgrave, p128] , and turned away from the Saudis, angering them. The Saudis then destroyed the fort of Dammam, causing him to move to Khor Hasan in Qatar.

He died in his ship, "Al-Ghatroushah", in a sea battle against the Al-Khalifa ships, lighting the gunpowder kegs with his eight year old son by his side, killing everyone that was onboard including his men and the Al-Khalifa men that were raiding his ship, preferring to die by his own hand than to die by the hands of Al-Khalifa. His legacy lasted long after his death; in the 1960s Charles Belgrave wrote of how old men in the coffee shops throughout the region would still talk of his exploits [Charles Belgrave, p122] .

References

External links

* [http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/197503/rahmah.of.the.gulf.htm Saudi Aramco World article: Rahmah of the Gulf]
* [http://www.qatarvisitor.com/index.php?cID=430&pID=1382 Scourge of the Pirate Coast]