other · Anatolia and the Levant

Sheikhdom of Zahir al-Umar

1730 CE – 1775 CE (approx.) · capital Acre

The autonomous domain of Zahir al-Umar, a Bedouin sheikh who made Acre a thriving cotton port and defied Ottoman rule in Galilee.

Origins

Zahir al-Umar of the Zaydani clan was a tax farmer in Galilee. From the 1730s he took Tiberias, and over the following decades he extended his control over Galilee and the coast, moving his seat to Acre around 1750.

Rule and society

Zahir encouraged settlement, guaranteed security on the roads and brought in Jewish, Christian and Muslim settlers. He controlled the export of cotton and grain to French merchants, which made Acre the leading port of the region, and rebuilt its walls. Though he usually paid his taxes to the Ottomans, he acted as an independent ruler and in 1771 joined Ali Bey of Egypt in an attack that briefly took Damascus.

Decline and legacy

In 1775, after the Ottoman fleet bombarded Acre and his own men turned against him, Zahir was killed. His successor in Acre, the Ottoman governor Jezzar Pasha, continued his policies under direct Ottoman authority.

Connections (2)

  • Sheikhdom of Zahir al-Umar was a vassal of Ottoman Empire1730 CE – 1775 CE
  • Sheikhdom of Zahir al-Umar was conquered by Ottoman Empire1775 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Sheikhdom of Zahir al-Umar. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sheikhdom-of-zahir-al-umar
MLA
“Sheikhdom of Zahir al-Umar.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sheikhdom-of-zahir-al-umar. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Sheikhdom of Zahir al-Umar.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sheikhdom-of-zahir-al-umar.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Sheikhdom of Zahir al-Umar’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sheikhdom-of-zahir-al-umar (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻