An-Nasir al-Hasan bin Ali

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An-Nasir al-Hasan bin Ali (died 1615) was a claimant to the Zaidi state of Yemen between 1579 and 1585, in opposition to the Ottoman Turks, who occupied the Yemeni lands for years.

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Anti-Ottoman risings

Al-Hasan bin Ali bin Da'ud was a great-nephew of the imam al-Hadi Izz ad-Din (d. 1495) who had revived the fortunes of the Zaidi state in the late 15th century. The troops of the Ottoman sultan Selim II, led by Sinan Pasha crushed Yemeni resistance in 1570. However, discontent with the occupiers continued, especially in the highlands where people belonged to the Zaydiyyah in opposition to the Sunni lowlands. In 1579 al-Hasan proclaimed the imamate in the Ahnum region under the name an-Nasir al-Hasan, vowing to fight the Turks. [1] His rising was paralleled by a messianic movement, led by a certain Mansur Himyar in the Anis region, which proclaimed the end of the Ottoman Empire.

Defeated by Hasan Pasha

However, the power basis of an-Nasir al-Hasan was quite limited. He was actually attacked by other Zaidi groups, such as the Hamzah sharifs, the sons of the last imam al-Mutahhar, and even by his cousins of the Mu'ayyad clan. In 1580, a new and redoubtable Ottoman governor, Hasan Pasha, was appointed by the Porte. By making use of the inner divisions of the highland groups, Hasan Pasha was able to reinforce the sultan's authority in the regions north of San'a. Sa'dah and Najran were occupied by the Turks in 1583. [2] An-Nasir al-Hasan kept his stronghold in the inaccessible Shaharah but was eventually betrayed and captured on 11 September 1585. His captor was the ketkhuda (deputy) of Hasan Pasha, Emir Sinan. [3] After having spent one year in prison in San'a, he was brought to Turkey where he eventually died in 1615. The torch of resistance was taken over in 1597 by the imam al-Mansur al-Qasim, of another Sayyid lineage, who founded a new Yemeni state.

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Yemeni Zaidi State

The Yemeni Zaidi State, also known as the Zaidi Immamate and the Qasimid State, was a Zaidi-ruled independent state in Greater Yemen region, which was founded by al-Mansur al-Qasim in 1597 and absorbed much of the Ottoman Yemen Eyalet by 1628 and completely expelled the Ottomans from Yemen by 1638. The Zaidi state continued to exist into 18th and 19th century, but gradually fractured into separate small states. The most notable of those states was the Sultanate of Lahej; most of those states were submitted by the Ottomans and incorporated into the restored Ottoman province of Yemen Eyalet in 1849.

References

  1. ↑ Encyclopaedia of Islam, Vol. VII, Leiden 1993, p, 996.
  2. ↑ Michel Tuchscherer, 'Chronologie du Yémen (1506-1635)', Chroniques yémenites 8 2000, http://cy.revues.org/11 .
  3. ↑ Robert W. Stookey, Yemen; The Politics of the Yemen Arab Republic. Boulder 1978, p. 141. His date of capture is also given as 1596/97, which appears to be incorrect.
Vacant
Title last held by
al-Mutahhar 		Zaydi Imam of Yemen
1579–1585		Vacant
Title next held by
al-Mansur al-Qasim
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