Dahham ibn Dawwas al-Shalaan | |
---|---|
دهام بن دواس الشعلان | |
Chieftain of Riyadh | |
In office 1745 – 5 July 1773 | |
Preceded by | Ibn Zaid Abu Zara’ah |
Succeeded by | Abdulaziz ibn Muhammad (leader of the First Saudi State) |
Regent for the House of Zaraʽah | |
In office 1740–1745 | |
Monarch | Ibn Zaid Abu Zara’ah |
Preceded by | Khamis |
Personal details | |
Born | Early 18th century Manfuhah, Al-Yamama, Arabia (present-day Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) |
Died | Late 18th century Al-Hasa, Bani Khalid Emirate (present-day Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia) |
Parent | Dawwas ibn Abdullah (father) |
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 and 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 ward-off invaders and intruders.[1][2] He was one of the earliest political and military opponents to the House of Saud and the nascent Wahhabi movement,[3][4] resulting in a conflict with Diriyah that lasted for almost 27 years.[5] 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.[6][7]
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.[8]
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.
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