Name of Object:

Rusul Khyma with the attack of the Honorable Company's cruisers on the evening of 11 November 1809

Location:

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (Sharjah)

Holding Institution:

Sharjah Art Museum / Sharjah Museums Department

 About Sharjah Museums Authority, Sharjah

Date of Object:

First published April 1813

Author:

R. Temple, HM 65th Regiment, Sixteen views; I. Clark, Sculpt.; William Haines, Publisher (William Haines: 21/6/1778, Bedhampton, Hampshire, England-William Haines: 24/7/1848, London)

Inventory Number:

SM2006-1549

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Coloured etching

Dimensions:

505 mm x 602 mm (framed); image: 215mm x 358mm

Provenance:

London

Description:

This image records one of the many battles between the fleet of the Qawasim rulers of the lower Gulf and the British, who were determined to end their economic and political hegemony in much of the region and gain overall control of the Gulf as a vital corridor between India, the Middle and Near East, and ultimately Britain.This composition shows the Qawasim stronghold of Ras al-Khaimah with the Hajjar mountains in the background, as seen from the sea by the artist, a soldier participating in the British attack on the town. A small number of British ships are positioned along the coast, and billowing smoke in the background on the right evokes an atmosphere of menace and impending major conflict. The British sent a squadron of frigates to Ras al Khaimah to attack and rout out the enemy. Troups disembarked in the afternoon, and despite all attempts by the Qasimi forces - their bravery and skillfullness even acknowledged by the British - by 10 o'clock the town was in ashes, the powerful fleet of the Qawasim, comprising more than 50 very large dhows, destroyed.

Citation of this web page:

Ulrike al-Khamis "Rusul Khyma with the attack of the Honorable Company's cruisers on the evening of 11 November 1809" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;AWE;ua;83;en

Prepared by: Ulrike Al-Khamis

MWNF Working Number: UA 084