Abstract: Sketch Map showing Bahrain's location in the Persian Gulf in relation to Qatar and Saudi Arabia.The map was reproduced from the Ordnance Survey, Southampton 1915.Physical description: Foliation: A pencil number, enclosed in a circle, is located in the top right hand corner of the recto of the folio.Materials: 1 parchment sheetDimensions: 245 x 160 mm
Abstract: The volume, marked secret, is
Persian Gulf Gazetteer, Part 1: Historical and Political Materials: Précis of Nejd Affairs, 1804-1904, and includes the printing statement 'G. C. Press, Simla. - No. 817 F. D. - 5.11.04. - 30 0 M. D.' The volume opens with a preface by J A Saldana, dated 5 October 1904 (folio 3). This is followed by a list of contents (folio 4). The volume is divided into 45 sections and gives a history of the Wahabi movements that affected the Persian Gulf and Oman in the nineteenth-century. The history is based on the Proceedings of the Foreign Department of the Government of India and the Political Department of the Government of Bombay.Folio 7 is a genealogical chart of Wahabi Amirs.Folio 29 is a genealogical chart of Shammar Chiefs.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 34; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence to and from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Percy Gordon Loch), Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch), and Political Agent at Kuwait (Harold Richard Patrick Dickson) regarding matters in Saudi Arabia and their affect, particularly on Kuwait and Bahrain. The main topic of discussion being a concession in Hasa, Saudi Arabia which was contested by the Standard Oil Company of California and the Iraq Petroleum Company, and was awarded to Standard Oil in July 1933.The correspondence, primarily between HM's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan) and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir John Simon) includes details of the negotiations and translations of the concession agreement which was published in
Umm-al-Qurain July 1933. Also discussed are attempts to obtain information about the special agreement between Standard Oil and the Sa'udi Arab Government which was not published and which contained details of the exact values of the concession, the area covered by it, and a clause relating to the Kuwait-Najd neutral zone concession. Later correspondence also discusses the progress being made by Standard Oil in developing their concession.Other matters discussed in the file include:correspondence from the Political Agent at Kuwait regarding rumours that the Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) travelled to Najd to meet with Ibn Saud (‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd), King of Saudi Arabia, or one of his close advisers to discuss matters including a potential alleviation of the blockade on Kuwait and their joining forces in regards to the oil concession agreement in the neutral zone (ff 6-17);a memorandum written by the Petroleum Department about Petroleum in Arabia which covers the topics: Petroleum prospects in Arabia, interested or potentially interested companies, past concessions affecting Saudi Arabia, the present position. The memorandum includes brief summaries of all the key oil companies and interested parties in oil concessions in Arabia (ff 90-91);correspondence regarding the prohibition on private planes flying to Bahrain and a request by the Standard Oil Company of California to use Bahrain as their base of operations during their survey of Hasa which was denied, and the eventual decision to allow Standard Oil's aeroplane to land at Bahrain should there be a serious medical emergency involving either their staff or those of the Mesopotamia-Persia corporation (ff 112, 131-133, 155-156, 173-175);a record of an interview which Frederick Charles Starling of the Mines Department had with Edmund William Janson of the Eastern and General Syndicate Limited in which Eastern and General's interest in a possible concession in Asir was discussed along with their activities in regard to previous concessions (ff 147-149).A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 179-187.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers arewritten in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 6-192; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled.
Abstract: The volume, marked confidential, is
Field Notes on Sa'udi Arabia, 1935, prepared by Donald Banks of the Air Ministry, by command of the Air Council.The volume begins with a brief forward (folio 2) in which the geographical scope is outlined. The volume is then divided into nine chapters (I-IX) with appendices, as follows:I - HistoryII - System of GovernmentIII - PopulationIV - Political GeographyV - Physical GeographyVI - Climate and MeteorologyVII - CommunicationsVIII - ResourcesIX - Armed ForcesAppendices - Weights and Measures, Coinage, Calendar and Time, Note on the state of Wahhabism viewed from a military standpoint, Note on ZakatThe volume contains the following route reports:1. 'Uqair to Riyadh, via al Hasa2. Riyadh to Wadi Fatima (near Jedda)3. Jumaima to Medina4. Riyadh to Kuwait5. Kuwait to Transjordan FrontierThe volume contains nineteen maps and plans, as follows:Imperial Air and Sea Routes (folio 29)Tribal Areas (folio 23)Administrative Divisions (folio 33)Town Plans of Jedda, Mecca, Medina, Riyadh, and Taif (folios 40, 42, 43, 45, and 46, respectively)Diagrammatic Section of Middle Sa'udi Arabia (folio 50)Physical Geography (folio 54)Chart showing Magnetic Variation in Arabia (folio 59)Communications in Sa'udi Arabia (folio 64)Diagram of Principal Watering Points, Frontier Posts and Garrisons (folio 70)Tribes of Asir (folio 76)Panorama of the town of Marat (folio 98)Panorama of Muwaih (folio 101)Sketch Plan of Muwaih (folio 100)Sketch of route Rumaihiya-Jarya (Route Report No. 4) (folio 109)General Map (folio 121)Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 122; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: The volume concerns the Eastern boundary of Saudi Arabia with Qatar and Trucial Oman (also referred to as the Trucial Coast), and negotiations over the boundary between British officials and Ibn Saud (referred to also as Bin Saud) [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd, King of Saudi Arabia].The volume contains reports and correspondence, principally from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; HM Minister, Jedda [Jeddah] (Sir Andrew Ryan); other Foreign Office officials; the Political Agent, Bahrain; Bertram Sydney Thomas; and officials of the India Office.The papers include: extracts prepared by the Political Resident, for the India Office, from a report by Bertram Thomas on the Trans-Oman air route reconnaissance of May-June 1927 (folios 8-21); papers on Anglo-Saudi relations and records of negotiations between HM Minister, Jeddah and the Deputy Saudi Arabian Minister for Foreign Affairs (Fuad Bey Hamza [Fu’ād Ḥamzah]), July-October 1934 (folios 37-60); further papers concerning Anglo-Saudi negotiations; papers prepared by the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle) concerning Ibn Saud and the Yemen campaign, November 1934 (folios 74-77); a letter from the Political Agent, Muscat (Major Claude Edward Urquhart Bremner), dated 23 October 1934, concerning the boundaries of Muscat Sultanate (folios 78-80); a Foreign Office note dated 19 December 1934 entitled 'South-Eastern Arabian frontier and United States Oil Concessions' (folios 122-124); papers relating to the Blue Line [a line drawn by British and Turkish officials in 1913 from the Gulf of Uqair to parallel 20 degrees North, in the Rub al-Khali]; and papers concerning tribal affairs (e.g. report by the Political Agent, Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch) entitled 'Tribal situation in the Hinterland of the Trucial Coast', folios 140-146).The date range gives the covering dates of the correspondence; the earliest document is an enclosure on folios 8-21 containing extracts from Bertram Thomas's report on the Trans-Oman air route reconnaissance of May-June 1927, and the last dated addition to the file is an entry in the notes dated 25 February 1935.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 221; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 6-216; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The volume concerns the definition of the eastern boundary of Saudi Arabia with Qatar and Trucial Oman, and negotiations over the boundary between British officials and Ibn Saud (also referred to as Bin Saud) [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd, King of Saudi Arabia].The principal correspondents are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agent, Bahrain; HM Minister, Jedda [Jeddah] (Sir Andrew Ryan), later the Chargé d'Affaires, Jeddah (Andrew Spencer Calvert); and senior officials of the Foreign Office, the India Office, the Government of India, and the Colonial Office.The papers cover: Anglo-Saudi negotiations over basing the frontier on the Blue Line [a line drawn by British and Turkish officials in 1913 from the Gulf of Uqair to parallel 20 degrees North, in the Rub al-Khali], and its extension on the side of Aden, the Violet Line; British proposals to base the frontier on a new line, the Green Line; further papers concerning the eastern, south, and south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia; the effect of the proposed boundaries on the sheikhdom of Abu Dhabi; Foreign Office records of discussions between HM Minister, Jedda (Ryan) and the Deputy Saudi Arabian Minister for Foreign Affairs (Fuad Bey Hamza [Fu’ād Ḥamzah]), June-July 1935 (folios 85-102); papers concerning territorial claims of Ibn Saud in eastern and south-eastern Arabia, July 1935 (folios 103-108); investigations into tribal matters (e.g. folio 117); geological surveys and the likely presence of oil in the area (passim); the Qatar boundary (especially folios 136-173); the Qatar oil concession, September 1935 (folios 174-178); and papers concerning an air reconnaissance by British officials, with the assistance of the Royal Air Force (RAF), in order to determine certain key points on the proposed border in the area south of Qatar, October 1935 (folios 196-223).The Arabic language content of the papers consists of fewer than ten folios, mainly copies of correspondence between Ibn Saud and the Ruler of Qatar [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī].The date range gives the covering dates for the main items of correspondence; the earliest dated document is an enclosure to the first item of correspondence, dated 22 February 1935, and the last dated addition to the file is an entry in the notes on folio 229 dated 22 October [1935].Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 234; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 6-229; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The volume concerns negotiations between the British and Saudi Arabian governments over the definition of the eastern boundary of Saudi Arabia, particularly the border with Qatar and Abu Dhabi. The King of Saudi Arabia is commonly referred to in the papers as Bin Saud or Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd]. The need to establish a definite border was increased by the discovery of oil in the area.The principal correspondents are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle); the Political Agent, Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch); HM Chargé d'Affaires, Jeddah (Andrew Spencer Calvert); HM Minister, Jedda [Jeddah] (Sir Andrew Ryan); the Secretary of State for India; the Government of India, and the Foreign Office.The volume includes: papers (folios 18-28, 32-33) concerning an aerial reconnaissance of the Qatar Peninsula, undertaken by the Royal Air Force and accompanied by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Loch, acting), including a chart showing tracks and positions (folio 21) and seven aerial photographs (folios 22-28), October 1935; notes by Haji Abdullah Fadhil Williamson on Abu Dhabi territory and boundaries 'given by the Al Bu Fallah Shaikhs and also the Manasir', November 1935 (folios 120-122); Sir Andrew Ryan's account of his journey across Arabia, December 1935 (folios 159-167), and record of his conversations at Riyadh with the Saudi Arabian Government, December 1935 (folios 168-193); and discussions concerning Bin Saud's claim to Jabal Naksh in Qatar, January 1936 (folios 202-224).The Arabic language content of the file is restricted to about ten folios of correspondence, mainly between Gulf rulers and the Political Agent, Bahrain.The date range gives the covering dates of the main items of correspondence; the earliest document is an enclosure to the first item of correspondence, dated 17 October 1935, and the last dated addition to the file is an entry in the notes dated 15 February [1936].Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 248; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The volume concerns negotiations between the British and Saudi Arabian governments over the settlement of the eastern and south-eastern frontiers of Saudi Arabia, the importance of which was enhanced by the presence of oil in the areas concerned.The principal correspondents are: HM Minister, Jedda [Jeddah] (Sir Andrew Ryan; Sir Reader William Bullard); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (principally Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle); the Political Agent, Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch; Captain Tom Hickinbotham); and officials of the India Office, the Government of India, and the Foreign Office.The papers cover: reports of negotiations between HM Minister, Jeddah and the King of Saudi Arabia, Ibn Saud (also referred to as Bin Saud) [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd], through his representatives Fuad Bey Hamza [Fu’ād Bey Hamza] and Shaikh Yusuf Yasin [Yūsuf Yāsīn]; the boundary with Qatar; the boundary with Abu Dhabi; the status of Khor al Odeid [Khawr al ‘Udayd] and Jabal Naksh (including two photographs of Jabal Naksh, folios 135-136); the supposed existence of an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Qatar prior to 1916, which is described by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf as an 'entire fabrication' (folio 41); aerial reconnaissance in the area, including a survey of places in Qatar by George William Rendel of the Foreign Office; correspondence concerning the exact position of Sufuk (also referred to as Safq) wells in the territory of Abu Dhabi, February-April 1937 (folios 90-98, 138-143, 160-161); paper by HM Minister, Jeddah (Bullard) concerning 'Mr Philby's [Harry St John Bridger Philby] expedition to the south and question of southern frontier of Saudi Arabia'; February 1937 (folios 150-159); paper by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Fowle) concerning 'Ibn Saud and the Arab States of the Persian Gulf', May 1937 (folios 199-206); and papers concerning the activities of the California Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC) at Qasr as Salwa, October-November 1937 (folios 216-231).The Arabic language content of the file is limited to approximately five folios, mostly correspondence (with English translations) from the Political Agent, Bahrain, to the rulers of Qatar and Abu Dhabi.The file also contains copies of earlier correspondence concerning the occupation of Khor al Odeid by Abu Dhabi, dated 1904-06 (folios 104-109).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 262; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 4-256; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains intelligence reports on the Kingdom of Hejaz, Najd and its Dependencies (after September 1932, Saudi Arabia) written by the British Legation at Jeddah.Between July 1931 and December 1932 the reports are issued every two months, with the exception of the January-March 1932 and April 1932 reports. From January 1933 the reports are sent on a monthly basis.Between July 1931 and December 1932, each report is divided into sections, numbered with Roman numerals from I to IX, as follows: Internal Affairs; Frontier Questions; Relations with States outside Arabia; Air Matters; Military Matters; Naval Matters; Pilgrimage; Slavery; and Miscellaneous. Each section is then further divided into parts relating to a particular matter or place, under a sub-heading. Some reports contain an annex.From January 1933, when the reports become monthly, they take a new format. Each is divided into sections, as follows: Internal Affairs; Frontier Questions and Foreign Relations in Arabia; Relations with Powers Outside Arabia; Miscellaneous (often containing information on slavery and the pilgrimage).Most reports are preceded by the covering letters from the Government of India, who distributed them to Political Offices in the Persian Gulf and elsewhere, and the original covering letter from the Jeddah Legation, who would send them to the Government of India and Government departments in London. From May 1933, most reports were sent directly to the Political Agent at Bahrain from Jeddah.Up until January 1933, each report began with an index giving a breakdown of the sections with references to the corresponding paragraph number. From January 1933 onwards no index is included.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the 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. An additional incomplete foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 6-11; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains the Foreign Office confidential prints of the Arabia Series for the years 1933 to 1938. It includes correspondence, memoranda, and extracts from newspapers. The correspondence is principally between the British Legation in Jedda and the Foreign Office. Other correspondents include British diplomatic, political, and military offices, foreign diplomats, heads of state, tribal leaders, corporations, and individuals in the Middle East region.Each annual series is composed of several numbered serials that are often connected to a particular subject. The file covers many subjects related to the affairs of Saudi Arabia.Included in the file are the following:a memorandum on Arab Unity produced by the Foreign Office dated 12 June 1933 (author unknown), folios 11-13;a memorandum on petroleum in Arabia produced by the Petroleum Department dated 5 August 1933 (author unknown), folios 23-26;a record of interviews with Ibn Sa‘ūd, King of Saudi Arabia, conducted by Reader Bullard and George William Rendel between 20 and 22 March 1937;a memorandum on Yemen by Captain B W Seager, the Frontier Officer, dated 20 July 1937;several records of proceedings of ships on patrol in the Red Sea, including that of HMS
Penzance,
Hastings,
Colombo,
Bideford, and
Londonderry.Folios 213-15 are internal office notes.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 217; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-215; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to the discussion over the need to gather and distribute intelligence on Saudi Arabia, including the establishment of an intelligence centre at Bahrain, due to the importance of developments there to the rulers of the neighbouring Gulf rulers and the granting of the oil concession at Hasa to the American Californian Group. The correspondence is between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, Trenchard Fowle, and the Political Agent at Bahrain, Gordon Loch.Folios 10-11 are internal office notes.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 12; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 4-9; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file contains periodic reports on Saudi Arabian affairs written by the Political Agent at Kuwait. The reports were sent to the Political Agency at Bahrain on a roughly weekly basis and contain brief summaries of intelligence gathered in Kuwait on tribal affairs, the activities of Ibn Sa‘ūd, and the Saudi-Yemeni conflict in Asir [ʻAsīr].On folio 21 are internal office notes.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 22; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.