The contents of this introduction to Thaher (Dhaher, Daher, or Zaher) Al-Omar El-Zydani (Arabic ظاهر العمر الزيداني) were derived from articles published by Dr. Potros Deleh http://www.alaswar.org/ShowNews.php?ID=480 and the Palestinian researcher Mr. Qustantain Khmar http://www.alaswar.org/ShowNews.php?ID=482. The two articles are published on Alaswar website under the articles section http://www.alaswar.org/ShowCat.php?ID=28.
Synopsis of the life of Thaher Al-Omar El-Zydani
Origin:
Thaher Al-Omar El-Zydani is a member of Bani Zydan tribe. Bani Zydan tribe traces its roots to Zaid Ibin El-Hussien Ibin Ali Ibin Abu Taleb who was Prophet Mohammed?s cousin and son in-law. Ali married the Prophet?s daughter Fatima.
Bani Zydan tribe moved from Taef area in the Arabian Peninsula (Taef is part of modern day kingdom of Saudi Arabia) during the days of Salah El-Din. They settled in Syria in an area between Damascus and Aleppo with a tribe called Bani Assad. Due to tribal conflict with Bani Assad in 1680 A.D., Bani Zydan moved to Safad area in Palestine. The tribe managed to fit in the area and prosper to the point where the leaders of this tribe became the local rulers of the area. The most famous of these leaders was Thaher Al-Omar El-Zydani
Birth and Development:
The historians differ on the exact date of Thaher?s birth date. The most agreed upon date and location is 1689 A.D in the village of Aarabit El-batoof. It is definite that Thaher was raised in Aarabit El-batoof .
Brief History of the Ottoman Empire:
The Ottoman Empire reached its peak in the mid 16th century and started to show signs of decline in the 17th century. In the 18th century, it became clear the Ottoman Empire is weak regionally and internationally and started an effort to boost its military machine by increasing taxes on farmers. Increasing taxes on farmers led to the decrease interest in farming and farmers moved to cities to find other jobs. Modern day Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon were part of the Ottoman Empire in name only. These countries were divided into semi independent states ruled by ministers (the governor of a state is called a minister) who bought their positions by bribing the Ottoman Sultan. An individual is installed as a head of state if the individual provides a generous gift to the Sultan and commits to a certain annual tax to be paid to the Empire. The ministers then would increase taxes on the population to pay for the bribe, the annual taxes, and to profit from their positions. The Bedouin tribes resisted the ministers? rules and began to conduct raids on caravans and cities. This was prevalent in Palestine which was divided into two states, Sayda state which extended from north of Beirut to north of Haifa, and the southern part of Damascus state.
Controlling Galilee area and the rest of Palestine
Thaher grew up in the village of Aarabit El-batoof near Batoof plain. He befriended Arab Elsaker leaders who supported him in his time of need. He inherited the rule of Safad from his father OMAR and later conquered Tiberias and Nazareth. Later in his life he conquered all of Sayda State and the southern parts of Damascus state with the help of the ruler of Egypt Ali Bik Elkabeer.
Thaher was able to sustain and expand his rule using military and political means. He married his sons to daughters of tribal leaders, formed alliance with the Russians, and other rules of the eastern part of the Ottoman Empire, and maintained a strong army.
Thaher improved security in the areas he rules. Security was a catalyst to improving prosperity. Since his rule expanded for the most part without the blessing and sometimes despite the Ottoman Sultan, Thaher had a host of enemies.
Taking Acre a capital:
The city of Acre (A city on the Mediterranean Sea) was since its destruction by the forces of king Ashraf Khaleel El-Mamluk in 1291 A.D abandoned by most of it residents. Thaher conquered Acre (عكا in Arabic) in 1744 A.D and made it his capital instead of Safad because of it strategic and economic importance.
The Demise of Thaher Al-Omar El-Zydani:
The era of Thaher Al-Omar El-Zydani ended in his assassination in 1775 A.D. on the hands of one of his top military leader and close assistant Ahmad Denkizly of Moroccan decent. Ahmad Denkizly assassinated Thaher after his defeat by the Ottoman forces lead by Ahmad El-Jazzar who was sent by the Ottoman sultan to remove Thaher from power. Thaher was removed from power and assassinated because he proved to be a difficult local ruler to control by the central government in Turkey.
Thaher Al-Omar (Dahir Al-Umar) is mentioned in the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia as the Ottoman ruler who revived Acre in the 18th century. See the text blew which was copied from the following website http://reference.allrefer.com/encyclopedia/A/Akko.html.
Akko[ak´O] Pronunciation Key or Acre[A´kur, A´?] Pronunciation Key, Fr. Saint-Jean d'Acre, Arab. Acca, city (1994 pop. 45,300), NW Israel, a port on the Bay of Haifa (an arm of the Mediterranean Sea). Its manufactures include iron and steel, chemicals, and textiles. The city was captured (A.D. 638) by the Arabs, who developed its natural harbor. In 1104 it was captured in the First Crusade and was held by Christians until 1187, when it was taken by Saladin. In the Third Crusade it was won back (1191) by Guy of Lusignan, Richard I of England, and Philip II of France, who gave it to the Knights Hospitalers (the Knights of St. John, hence its French name). For the next century it was the center of the Christian possessions in the Holy Land. Its surrender and virtual destruction by the Saracens in 1291 marked the decline of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Crusades. Akko was taken by the Ottoman Turks in 1517 and was revived in the late 18th cent. under Dahir al-Umar, the local Ottoman ruler. In 1799, Ottoman forces, with the aid of Great Britain, withstood a 61-day siege by Napoleon I. The city was taken in 1832 by Ibrahim Pasha for Muhammad Ali of Egypt, but European and Ottoman forces won it back for the Ottoman Empire in 1840. British troops captured the city in 1918. Akko was assigned to the Arabs in the 1948 partition of Palestine, but it was captured by Israeli forces in the Arab-Israeli war of that year. By the 1990s its population was about three fourths Jewish and one fourth Arab. The city is a popular tourist site. Landmarks include an ancient citadel, walled fortifications, the al-Jazzar mosque, and several churches dating from the Crusades.
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