The Al-Qusaibi Family and Its Relationship with King Abdulaziz Al Saud: A Study of Its Economic and Political Role, 1916–1950

Abstract

The Al-Qusaibi family emerged as one of the prominent families of the Arabian Peninsula and the Arabian Gulf due to its economic and political influence, in addition to the good reputation and sharp insight that distinguished the sons of Hassan Al-Qusaibi and their maternal brothers. These qualities enabled them to gain the trust of Ibn Saud, with whom they enjoyed a distinguished status. Hence, Abdulaziz Al-Qusaibi was chosen as an agent to manage King Abdulaziz’s business affairs in the Arabian Gulf and beyond, assisted in this task by his brother Abdullah Al-Qusaibi. Their third brother, Abdulrahman Al-Qusaibi, excelled in trade, particularly in the pearl trade, and because of his commercial standing he also developed a close relationship with Ibn Saud.

Among the regions connected to this relationship was the Emirate of Bahrain, which represented a prestigious commercial center, in addition to being a place of residence for the British authorities, who maintained relations with Ibn Saud due to their interests in the Arabian Gulf. Owing to the importance of this region, Abdulaziz Al-Qusaibi was appointed as Ibn Saud’s representative and agent to manage his business affairs in Bahrain. Accordingly, Abdulaziz Al-Qusaibi became a member of the Manama Municipal Council from its establishment in 1920. Because of his communication with the British authorities and his growing influence in Bahrain, they began to take him seriously and sought to win him over to their side, granting him the title of Khan Bahadur.

However, this situation did not last long, as the relationship between Al-Qusaibi and Ibn Saud became strained due to the latter’s accumulated debts. As for Britain, it was provoked by the influence attained by the sons of Al-Qusaibi and began to plot schemes to remove them from Bahrain. The last of these was the strained relationship among the brothers themselves, which led to the division of trade and property among them.