Abstract: This printed memorandum was received from the Chief Political Officer, Basra, under Sir P Cox's letter (No 3) dated 18 August 1916 (see IOR/L/PS/10/426: 3744/16), and includes a report by Gertrude Lowthian Bell (signed G L B), originally published in the Arab Bulletin, concerning the rebellion against the Sultan of Muscat, Fayṣal bin Turkī Āl Bū Sa‘īd, and, subsequently after his death, his son, Taymūr bin Fayṣal Āl Bū Sa‘īd. Bell gives a description of the causes of the rebellion against the Sultan of Muscat, which, in her opinion, were 'partly due to old and deepseated matters of disagreement and partly to the reflex action of modern European politics'. She goes on to describe various events from May 1913 to July 1916, including: the fall of Nizwa [Nizwá] and Izki [Izkī]; the visit of the Viceroy to Muscat in February 1914; the death of Fayṣal; the religious character of the uprising ('Jihad'); and potential peace terms.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The volume is an overview of the political history of Persia, Iraq and Arabia, authored by the Office of the Chief Political Officer, Indian Expeditionary Force “D”, and printed by the Superintendent Government Printing, Calcutta [Kolkata], India in 1917. The volume is divided into a number of chapters:1. An introduction to the political history of Persia, Iraq and Arabia, chiefly concerning Britain’s history of naval intervention and military occupation in the Persian Gulf, and its efforts in eradicating the slave trade, arms traffic and piracy;2. A chapter entitled ‘The Arab attitude in Iraq before the War’, including: political conditions in Turkish Iraq prior to the War; the arrival of the Indian Expeditionary Force “D” at the start of the War; Ottoman ‘jihad’ against the British; Arab attitudes to the British in Iraq, central Arabia and Persian Arabistan;3. British relations with Arabistan, including an overview of the Anglo-Persian War (1856-57), and a brief outline of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company’s activities in the region;4. The Bakhtiari tribes, their leaders and their standing with the Persian Government, and the importance of maintaining British relations with them, with reference to trade routes, the maintenance of order in the oil fields, and the maintenance of friendly relations with the Shaikh of Muhammareh [Khorramshahr] and the Russians at Ispahan [Isfahān, or Eṣfahān];5. Pusht-i-Kuh – ‘the right flank of Indian Expeditionary Force “D”’: a description of the area, and its strategic and economic importance, including: topography; climate; the position and powers of its Wali [governor] (taken from Lorimer’s
Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf), the Wali’s relatives; and Kaka Siyah, who reside in the region and who are of African origin;6. Arabia – the left flank of Indian Expeditionary Force “D”. The chapter is divided into two parts. The first part is a general description of the Arabian peninsula, including: topography and geographic features; political powers in Arabia: the Wahhabi, with a history of their development and territorial gains; Egypt; Ibn Rashid [Ibn Rashīd]; the British Government; and Turkish interests in Arabia. The second part is a detailed historical outline of British relations with Ibn Sa‘ūd;7. Entitled
The Trend of Turkish policy before the War and since (official), and subdivided into parts on internal and external politics. The first part includes an assessment of the characteristics of ‘Ottoman people’ and their Government, the second concentrates on German influence and activity in Ottoman territories.There are pencil annotations on the front flyleaf of the volume (folio 2), which make note of sections within the volume, with the corresponding page numbers.Physical description: Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top-right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 29.Pagination: A printed pagination system runs through the volume (ff 7-27), the numbers of which are located top and centre of each recto and verso.