Dahham ibn Dawwas

Dahham ibn Dawwas ibn Abdullah al-Shalaan (Arabic: دهام بن دواس بن عبد الله الشعلان, romanized: Dahām ibn Dawwās ibn ʿAbd Allāh āl-Šaʿlān) was an 18th-century Arab tribal and political leader from Manfuhah who ruled as the first chieftain of the walled town of Riyadh from 1745 until 1773. He previously reigned as the regent for Ibn Zaid ibn Musa between 1740 and 1745. He is widely credited with laying the foundations of Riyadh, the-present day capital of Saudi Arabia, by constructing a mudbrick palace and erecting a defensive wall to safeguard it from outside invaders. Dahham was one of the earliest political and military opponents to the House of Saud and the nascent Wahhabi movement, resulting in a conflict with Diriyah that lasted for almost 27 years. His overall strategic failure and miscalculated decisions throughout the course of the conflict led to his eventual overthrow at the hands of the First Saudi State, making his name synonymous with acts of foolishness and ineptitude in the Najd.

During his reign over the walled town, the names Hajr and Migrin, which were previously used for the area, fell into disuse as the name Riyadh had begun to surface in the Najd, including for settlements such as Owd and Mi’kal.

He rose through the ranks of the Zaraʽah dynasty in the 1730s when Zaid ibn Musa got killed in a skirmish with the Anizah tribe. He was succeeded by his slave, Khamis, who acted as the regent of Zaid's son and made Dahham as his close aide. He fled the town for Manfuhah in 1740 in fear of an uprising. The power vacuum gave Dahham the opportunity to seize control of the town.

Early life and career

Dahham was born to Dawwas ibn Abdullah al-Shalaan in early 18th century in Manfuhah. His father Dawwas ibn Abdullah ruled the town, who died around 1726. His brother Muhammad ibn Abdullah reigned over Manfuhah before a tribal uprising killed him. A rival faction of his family took control of the town and subsequently exiled him and rest of his siblings to the town of Migrin, which was then ruled by the Zaraʽah dynasty led by Zaid ibn Musa.

Zaid married the sister of Dahham to strengthen their tribal bond. Zaid ibn Musa Abu Zar’ah. In 1740, Khamis fled Riyadh to Manfuhah and got assassinated. In 1745, Dahham banished the underaged son from Riyadh and assumed absolute authority over the walled town. Fearing repercussions from Zaraʽah loyalists and potential external threats, he began building a wall and a mudbrick fort for himself.

Soon after seizing control of the town, the inhabitants of Riyadh rose up against him and besieged him in his palace. He sought assistance from Muhammad ibn Saud, who then mobilized a unit led by his brother, Mishari, in support of Dahham, enabling the latter to successfully suppress the rebellion. However, Dahham and the Emirate of Diriyah found itself at loggerheads when the former tried to annex his ancestral hometown of Manfuhah in 1746, which was in alliance with Diriyah. This marked the start of long drawn out conflict between Riyadh and Diriyah that lasted until 1773 when Imam Abdulaziz ibn Muhammad conquered Riyadh and deposed Dahham.

Following his overthrow, he and his family along with many of his supporters headed towards ad-Dilam and al-Kharj, which was then ruled by Zaid ibn Zamil. He then fled to Bani Khalid-ruled al-Ahsa where he is believed to lived the last days of his life.

Personal life

Dahham often resorted to harsh methods in order to maintain his control over his subjects. His rule was marked with aggression and tyranny by Arab historians and chroniclers from Najd, such as Ibn Ghannam, a thought also seconded by Arabists such as William Facey and John Philby. He has been described as a sadist and a peerless brute, who would sew the mouths of women, chop off the tongues of innocent inhabitants, break their teeth and slash flesh from their bodies and force them to eat it after being roasted.

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