The Anglo-Ottoman Rivalries and the Formation of Modern States in Arabia. ABDUL RAUH YAACOB. Islamiyyat 18 & 19
Abstract
History of imperial rivalries in Arabia began when the Portuguese appeared in the Arabian coast towards the end of the 15th century for one reason and another. This event led to the emergence of the Mamluk and the Ottomans assuming the responsibility for protecting Muslim land from foreign intervention. Similarly when the British took Aden in 1839, the Ottomans assuming the responsibility for protecting Muslim land from foreign intervention. Similarly when the British took Aden in 1839, the Ottomans reacted by renewing their policy of expansion in Arabia in the 1840’s. Anglo-Ottoman rivalry began to materialise when the Ottomans successfully occupied north Yaman and began to threaten the British at Aden and the Red Sea. This led to the division of Yaman into South and North Yaman, Asir and Aden. This happened at the time when the British and the Ottomans were good friends. But when the Ottomans fought the British ambitious and imperialist policy not only in Arabia but also in the Middle East. This resulted in the formation of modern states in Arabia in particular and in the Arab World in general.