Burayda

Buraydah is an oasis town in the heart of Qasim, in the valley country of central Arabia. Wells and palm groves sustained its inhabitants amid the dry Najd plateau. Its position placed it among routes leading from the interior toward the Hijaz and the markets of Iraq. The town grew around a watering place acquired by the Abu Ulayyan family, who came from Tharmada in al-Washm during the sixteenth century.

The Abu Ulayyan became the ruling family of Buraydah, and the town grew into a centre of authority over much of Qasim. In the later eighteenth century the expansion of the state based at Diriyah brought it into wider struggles. Under Hujaylan ibn Hamad, Buraydah was fortified and remained loyal to the Saudi cause when other Qasim settlements rebelled. Saadun ibn Urayir besieged it for months, but failed to take the town. Its walls and defenders made Buraydah a stronghold of Saudi influence in the region. Following the siege, other Qasim communities sought terms with Hujaylan, who granted them protection.

The fall of Diriyah to Ibrahim Pasha in 1818 was followed by upheaval in Qasim. Rivalry among local rulers and successive Ottoman-Egyptian expeditions brought violence, heavy demands and insecurity. Buraydah's fortunes remained bound to the changing balance of power across Najd.