ABSTRACT
Aḩmad's election occurred two years after the death of Nâdir Shâh, which was followed by Persian civil wars and instability extending to the whole Gulf region. The most successful contestant in the Persian struggles was Karîm Khân Zand, who established himself in Shîrâz as the self-styled vakîl of a figurehead Safavî shâh. The most sustained threat to Aḩmad's maritime interests came from al-Sîr, a region traditionally claimed as part of the northern province of ʿUmân. The Sunnî tribes of al-Sîr considered themselves independent of the Ibâḑî imâmate and were often found in alliance with external enemies and insurgents within ʿUmân. The local conflicts in the Gulf which coincided with Aḩmad's early imâmate have a wider context. The configuration of European interests in the area was changing in Britain's favor as a result of both the rippling effects of European wars and the further development of Far Eastern trade.
