Zayed continued to spread his influence in Buraimi, buying up any property that became available in the oasis, eventually resulting in a rebellion of the previously loyal Dhawahir when they realised the extent to which he had expanded his control over oases they traditionally domainted. Zayed reconciled with the Na’im, who had long fought the Bani Yas and, with that alliance behind him, marched against Buraimi in May 1887. The Sultan of Muscat sent arms and money in support of the Dhawahir, but they arrived too late: Zayed overtook the oasis and took two of the tribe's sheikhs as hostages. He was to march against the Dhawahir once again in 1891, this time backed by 30 horsemen and 300 camel riders from Dubai. Zayed took the 'Ain Dhawahir and constructed a fort there to consolidate his dominance over the oasis. He then appointed a
Wali, Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hilal Al Dhahiri and married the daughter of the Nuaimi headman of Buraimi. Zayed was noted by Cox to be "troublesome" and guided the rest of the Sheikhs of Dubai and Umm Al Quwain to not adopt the
White Pierced Red flag, the intended flag of the Trucial States, referencing that the flag represents the Al Qawasim tribal federation. In 1892, Zayed signed a
treaty with the
United Kingdom which effectively ceded control of Abu Dhabi's international commercial relations to the
British.
Tribal alliances By 1894, Zayed was considered the most powerful of the Trucial Sheikhs, replacing the hegemony of Sharjah. By 1900, he controlled a large swathe of territory, from Khor Udeid on the Qatari peninsula to Liwa and Buraimi and north to Jebel Ali. His tribal federation was solid and his rule and judgement, even among the tribes of the interior, was accepted and recognised. Under Zayed's leadership, the first meeting between the five Trucial Sheikhs took place in Dubai, in September 1905, with the aim of settling a dispute between the Bani Qitab and Na'im. The Bani Qitab sought support from the young ruler of
Umm Al Quwain,
Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mualla, who was keen to expand his influence among the tribes. In April 1906, a second meeting between the five rulers was held at Khawaneej and a treaty agreed, allocating responsibility for the tribes to the two Rulers – Rashid bin Ahmad was to be responsible for the Bani Qitab,
Ghafalah and
Bani Ka’ab, while Zayed undertook responsibility for the Na’im of Buraimi, the Dhawahir, the
Sharqiyin of
Fujairah and the
Shihuh of
Ras Al Khaimah. The treaty gave Zayed control over a large area that had previously fallen under the influence of Sharjah, but it also gave him impetus to act against his young would-be rival and in November 1906, Zayed allied with Dubai and Sharjah and prepared to attack
Falaj Al Mualla, Umm Al Quwain's inland town. The British now became involved, brokering a series of negotiations between Zayed and Rashid bin Ahmad. In January 1907, Zayed apprehended Rashid bin Ahmed and, together with the Rulers of Dubai, Ajman and Sharjah, conspired to have Rashid imprisoned. The British resident Percy Cox now became involved in a reconciliation and Rashid bin Ahmed, having been roughed up in the interim (and cured of his dynastic ambitions), was handed over to Cox. Zayed the Great died on 19 May 1909. ==Marriage and Children==