. It was found by chance in 1966 on the island of Tarot while building a road to the archaeological hill and not in a regular excavation. , 5th-6th century CE.
Tarout Island, Qatif. (), immortalized in the poetry of
Antarah ibn Shaddad,
Tarafa ibn Al-`Abd,
Bashshar ibn Burd (in his famous Ba'yya), and others. The word "Khatty" became the preferred "
kenning" for "spear" in traditional poetic writing until the dawn of the modern era, supposedly because the region was famous for spear making, just as "muhannad" ("of
India") was the preferred kenning for "sword". The older name also survives as the eponym of several well-known local families ("Al-Khatti", spelled variously in English). Until the advent of
Ottoman rule in the 18th century, Qatif belonged to the historical region known as the
Province of Bahrain, along with
Al-Hasa and the present-day
Bahrain islands. In 899 the
Qarmatians conquered the region with the oases of Qatif and Al-Hasa. They declared themselves independent and reigned from al-Mu'miniya near modern
Hofuf until 1071. The
Buyids of western
Persia raided Qatif in 988. In 1059, Qatif was liberated from Qarmatian rule during the
Battle of Qatif. From 1071 until 1253 the
Uyunids ruled the region first from the city of "al-Hasa" (predecessor to modern
Hofuf) and later from Qatif. In 1253 the
Usfurids rose from Al-Hasa and ruled during the struggle of Qays with the
Hormuz for control of the coast. Probably at about this time, Qatif became the main port for the mainland surpassing '
Uqair in importance for the trade and thus became the capital of the Usfurids. Power shifted in 1440 to the
Jabrids of the Al-Hasa oasis.
Portuguese and Ottomans In 1515 the
Portuguese conquered Hormuz and sacked Qatif in 1520, killing the Jabrid ruler
Muqrin ibn Zamil. In 1680 the Al Humayd of the
Banu Khalid took the by now weak garrison of the Ottomans in Hofuf. In a battle at Ghuraymil, south of Qatif, the Banu Khalid lost their rule to the new "
First Saudi State" in 1790. In 1818 the Saudi State was destroyed in the
Ottoman-Saudi War and the commander of the mostly Egyptian troops,
Ibrahim Pasha, took control of Hofuf, only to evacuate it the next year and return to the west coast. The Humayd regained control until the Banu Khalid were finally defeated in 1830 by the "Second Saudi State" who now took control of the whole region. The Ottomans moved in again in 1871 not to be expelled until 1913 when
Ibn Saud finally established the Saudi rule in the
Eastern Province.
Modern political history The economy of Qatif witnessed a sharp decline in the 1920s, initially due to the invention of
cultured pearls which severely impacted the Gulf pearl trade, then due to
World War I. The decline was accelerated by a special "Jihad" tax imposed by the Saudis (then the
Sultanate of Nejd), which was used to fund
military campaigns. The economic situation became so dire that many citizens were imprisoned for unpaid taxes, including several wealthy landowners and merchants. Then in 1929, the tax was doubled. Riots broke out in several towns, and a large group escaped to Bahrain and requested protection from the British consul. The governor of Qatif responded with intimidation and mass imprisonments. Several notables wrote letters to
King Abdulaziz voicing their complaints. He eventually met with the governor and some citizens, pardoned past-due taxes, and reduced new taxes. Approximately 60,000 Shias (estimate of 1969) live in the oasis town of Qatif, which is about from the main Saudi refinery and the export terminal of
Ras Tanura. The Shias have participated in all the
strikes and other political demonstrations that have taken place in the kingdom. The most significant were the 1979 strikes when the Saudi armed forces were called in. The Shias in Saudi Arabia were very receptive to
Khomeini and demonstrated against the Saudi royal family on the hitherto novel grounds that Islam and hereditary kingship are not compatible. When American jets landed in
Dhahran Air Base for manoeuvres, citizens of Qatif organized a big demonstration. The demonstrators spent the evening of 11 November 1979 shouting slogans against the royal family and the Americans. The Saudi government responded by imposing a curfew on all the towns in the Qatif area, sealing off the area with tanks and armoured vehicles. A bloody showdown between the armed forces and the Shiites continued until 30 November 1979, in which thousands were arrested, hundreds injured and 24 killed. On 10 March 2011, in the wake of the
Arab Spring and a day before a "day of rage" planned by Saudi internet users, consisting of protests across Saudi Arabia; 'dozens' of
Shias attended a rally in the city centre calling for political reforms in the kingdom and the release of prisoners allegedly held without charge for more than 16 years. The government declared
protests to be illegal and it had previously warned against this action. Police opened fire on the protestors, injuring three, and there were reports of
stun grenades being used as well as many more injuries from police use of
batons. Further protests in Qatif continued throughout 2011. Over six people were reported to be killed by the government's forces since November 2011. However, the government tried to overshadow the reports but social networking groups has highly worked to demonstrate the way the government used force against the protesters Activists in Qatif first took to the streets in March 2011, demanding the release of political prisoners. In early January 2012, Riyadh ordered the arrest of 23 people responsible for unrest in the Eastern Province. Activists reported that seven protesters were killed from November 2011 to 10 February 2012 in Qatif. The march on 10 February 2012 was reportedly organised to protest against the killings of demonstrators, who were calling for reforms, an end to sectarian discrimination and the release of political prisoners. "While security men were following up on an illegal gathering in the town of al Awamiya in Qatif on Friday they were attacked by gunfire," said a police statement published by the state news agency,
Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Zuhair al Said was killed on 10 February 2012 when police opened fire to disperse protesters in the town of
al Awamiya, in the Qatif region. About 500 people were arrested since March 2011. Activists said 80 remained in custody, including author Nazir al Majid and human rights activist Fadil al Munasif. In July 2012, the government arrested
Nimr al-Nimr, a Shiite preacher who called for protests against the government. The arrest of such an icon in the city of Qatif resulted in protests the evening of his arrest. Government snipers killed two protesters that night: Sayed Akbar al-Shakori and Sayed Mohammed Alfelfel. Videos of the killing were released on video streaming sites such as
YouTube. Another
unrest occurred between 2017 and 2020.
Political Transitions in Qatif Qatif’s strategic location on the
Persian Gulf made it a key center for trade and culture, attracting various empires and regional powers. From the 2nd to the 20th century, this played a significant role in shaping its rich and complex history. ==Administrative divisions==