page_title: Qatari–Bahraini War
section_title: Chronology
hierarchical_section_title: Qatari–Bahraini War / Chronology
caption_attribution_description: English: General view of the sea front in Bahrain, possibly at Manama. The horizon line is punctuated by various built structures before which a variety of dhows and other craft are moored, at anchor or pulled up along the shoreline. Obtained from Qatar Digital Library (http://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023617660.0x000006)
context_page_description: The Qatari–Bahraini War also known as the Qatari War of Independence was an armed conflict that took place between 1867 and 1868 in the Persian Gulf. The conflict pitted Bahrain and Abu Dhabi against the people of Qatar. The conflict was the most flagrant violation of the 1835 maritime truce, requiring British intervention. The two emirates agreed to a truce, mediated by the United Kingdom, which led to Britain recognizing the Al Thani family of Qatar as the semi-independent ruler of Qatar. The conflict resulted in wide-scale destruction in both emirates.
context_section_description: In 1860s, the relations between Qatar and Bahrain deteriorated with a series of small disputes. Hostilities emerged when, in 1867, Bahrain arrested a Qatari Bedouin in the Qatari mainland and deported him to Bahrain. In response, the Qataris, led by the Al Thani tribe, attacked and defeated the Bahraini army that was based on the peninsula, effectively expelling them. These tensions led Bahrain, allied with Abu Dhabi, to attack Qatar.
  The conflict failed to pacify and resulted in an escalation between the two parties in the following year. In October 1867, the Bahraini Hakim Mohammed al Khalifa, sent his brother, Ali Al Khalifa, with a force of 500 men in 24 boats to attack Qatar. He was joined by a force of 200 men under Ahmed al Khalifa. Additionally, Bahrain's ally Abu Dhabi sent 2,000 troops in 70 boats. The attack on Qatar led to the sacking of Bida (Doha) and Wakra. A British record later stated "that the towns of Doha and Wakrah were, at the end of 1867 temporarily blotted out of existence, the houses being dismantled and the inhabitants deported". A Qatari counterattack followed the next year, resulting in the destruction of most of the Bahraini naval vessels deployed. The 1868 attack resulted in some 1,000 individuals killed and 60 ships destroyed.
caption: Manama harbour, circa 1870.
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