Revolt Against the Qarmatians Political, social and economic conditions in the Qarmatian state had reached a critical point when Al Uyuni began his revolt. He struggled at first in his skirmishes with the authorities given that he started with only around 400 supporters from the Abdul Qays, but other tribes took advantage of the weakened authority and eventually joined in. Al Uyuni’s troops forced the Qarmatians to withdraw to the
Al-Ahsa Oasis while the loyal tribes withdrew to the
Syrian Desert, culminating in a seven-year war of attrition and a siege of the Qarmatian capital at
Qatif. Malik-Shah was the more receptive of the two sovereigns in his eagerness for suzerainty over Al-Ahsa and to avenge his general Kajkina’s defeat at the hands of the Qarmatian troops of Yahya ibn Ayyash. Therefore, the
Turkmen commander, Axsek Salar, was dispatched from the Seljuk capital of
Baghdad to Al-Ahsa, from where he marched through
Basra to Qatif. Salar looted Qatif and confiscated the treasury of Ibn Ayyash (who had fled to Awal Island, now
Bahrain). Afterwards, the Seljuks assisted Al Uyuni’s siege of Al-Ahsa, ultimately leaving 200 soldiers to garrison it. Finally in 1078, at what was called the “Battle of the Two Rivers,” the Qarmatians and their
Banu Amir allies were routed and surrendered.
Restoring Qatif After the retreat of the Seljuk army, however, Ibn Ayyash recaptured Qatif, but he was rebuffed by Al Uyuni, who proceeded to occupy Bahrain. Finally killing Ibn Ayyash in battle, Al Uyuni has united
Eastern Arabia and Bahrain into one state, the Uyunid Emirate, based in Al-Ahsa. ==Royal dynasty==