Abstract: This file concerns the progress of schemes relating to the improvement of transport and communications in Saudi Arabia.The file largely consists of copies of correspondence received by the Foreign Office from His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan, succeeded by Sir Reader William Bullard) and His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires to Jedda (Cecil Gervase Hope Gill, and in later correspondence, Alan Charles Trott), which includes discussion of the following:Details of a failed concession for a Mecca-Jedda railway, granted by the Government of Saudi Arabia in 1933 to an Indian doctor and businessman named Saiyid Abdul Khadir Jeelani, who is reportedly unable to obtain financial support for the scheme.Difficulties regarding motor transport arrangements in Saudi Arabia during the pilgrimage season, following the creation of a motor transport monopoly in Saudi Arabia in 1936.Details of an agreement, dated 5 October 1939, between the Saudi Arabian and Egyptian Governments, primarily relating to construction and repair work on the road between Jedda and Arafat, and on certain parts of the Medina-Mecca road (the agreement also concerns the provision of water and electricity in Saudi Arabia).The file's other principal correspondents are the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, the Chief Secretary of the Government of Madras, and various correspondents from the Foreign Office.In addition to correspondence, the file includes a copy of the scheme for the construction of a Jedda-Mecca railway and a copy of the aforementioned agreement between the Government of Saudi Arabia and the Government of Egypt.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence (folio 2).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 110; 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 2-110; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: Home correspondence of the East India Company (EIC) with Lord Shelburne [William Petty Fitzmaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne], Secretary of State for the Southern Department, related to the complaints of the Sheriff of Mecca [Sharīf of Mecca] with respect to the inhabitants of Mecca and Medina suffering trouble in their trade. The correspondence includes a ‘Copy of the 77th Paragraph of the Company’s General Letter from Bombay [Mumbai]’ related to the right to trade in Mecca, Judda [Jeddah], and Mocha; a ‘Copy of the 61st Paragraph of the Company’s General Letter to Bombay’ related to the Ottoman Governor of Mecca complaining against the EIC’s Factory at Surat for interrupting Turkish vessels in carrying on their trade between Surat and Judda; and a translated copy of a petition signed by merchants and other traders to Mocha, Judda and Bussorah [Basra].Physical description: 1 item (9 folios)
Abstract: This item contains four documents:1. A copy of a letter from Harford Jones, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad], to Jonathan Duncan, Governor of Bombay, sent from Bagdad and dated 12 December 1799. In response to Duncan’s letter of 16 October (see IOR/L/PS/9/76/100), Jones discusses routes of communication between Bussora [Basra] and Constantinople [Istanbul], recommending the route via Bagdad. The letter includes tables displaying the estimated travel time from Bussora to Constantinople via Bagdad and the rulers of the territory on this route.2. A list of presents sent by Tipoo Sultan [Tīpū Sulṭān of Mysore] to the Grand Signior [Selim III, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire] and the Grand Vizier [Yūsuf Ẓīa al-Dīn Pāshā] which arrived in Bagdad on 24 December 1799.The list was compiled by Jones on 26 December 1799.3. A copy of a letter from Harford Jones to Rear-Admiral John Blankett, Commander of the British naval squadron in the Red Sea, sent from Bagdad and dated 13 November 1799. The letter forwards dispatches and an intelligence report from Aleppo (not enclosed).Another copy of the same letter is catalogued as IOR/L/PS/9/76/96.4. A copy of a letter from Rear-Admiral Blankett to Jones, sent from HMS
Leopardat Mocca [Mocha] and dated 31 July 1799. It covers subjects including:The retreat of the French forces led by General Napoleon Bonaparte from Accre [Acre]Planned Turkish [Ottoman] and Mameluke attacks on the French occupation forces from Suez and Upper EgyptThe French capture of Cossire [Al Qusayr]Relations and trade between the Government of Mecca and the French forcesThe supplies of the French forces in CairoReports from Maltese defectors that the French forces intend to offer peace termsThe disruption of the coffee trade by Bedouin tribesThe state of the British-occupied island of Perim.Physical description: 1 item (10 folios)
Abstract: The title provided at the beginning of this item does not relate in any way to the item's contents. Part 10 is in fact concerned with the dispute between Bin Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] and King Hussein of Hejaz [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī, King of Hejaz], and British policy towards both.The item begins with reports that Bin Saud's Akhwan [Ikhwan] forces have advanced to Tarabah (also spelled Turaba in the correspondence) [Turabah], in Hejaz, and includes details of His Majesty's Government's proposed response, which is to inform Bin Saud that if he does not withdraw his forces from Hejaz and Khurma then the rest of his subsidy will be discontinued and he will lose all advantages secured under the treaty of 1915. Included are the following:copies of translations of correspondence between Bin Saud and King Hussein;discussion as to whether the British should send aeroplanes to assist King Hussein;minutes of inter-departmental meetings between representatives of the India Office, the War Office, the Foreign Office, and the Treasury, on the subject of Bin Saud, held at the Foreign Office and chaired by the Foreign Secretary, Earl Curzon of Kedleston [George Nathaniel Curzon];discussion as to how the British should respond in the event of Bin Saud's Wahabi [Wahhabi] forces taking Mecca and advancing on Jeddah, which it is anticipated may result in the evacuation of a large number of Arabs and British Indians;discussion regarding a proposed meeting between Harry St John Bridger Philby and Bin Saud on the Gulf coast;a report by Captain Herbert Garland [Director of the Arab Bureau, Cairo], entitled 'Note on the Khurma Dispute Between King Hussein and Ibn Saud';a document entitled 'Translation of a Memorandum on the Wahabite [sic] Crisis', addressed to the High Commissioner, Egypt, by Emir Feisal [Fayṣal bin Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī], in which Feisal implores the British to take military action against the Wahabi movement;copies of translations of letters addressed to Bin Rashid [Saʿūd bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl Rashīd], from Bin Saud and King Hussein respectively, which provide the perspectives of both on recent events at Khurma and Tarabah;a memorandum from the Foreign Office's Political Intelligence Department, entitled 'Memorandum on British Commitments to Bin Saud'.The item's principal correspondents are the following:High Commissioner, Egypt, General (later Field Marshal) Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby;Secretary of State for India [Edwin Samuel Montagu];Secretary to the India Office's Political Department (John Evelyn Shuckburgh);Foreign Office;Bin Saud;King Hussein;Emir Ali [‘Alī bin Ḥusayn al-Hāshimī], son of King Hussein;Emir Feisal [Fayṣal bin Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī], son of King Hussein;Viceroy of India [Frederic John Napier Thesiger];War Office;Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, temporarily based in Baghdad [ Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Talbot Wilson, acting Resident in Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Percy Zachariah Cox's absence];Civil Commissioner, Baghdad [held in an officiating capacity by Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Talbot Wilson];Colonel Cyril Edward Wilson;Harry St John Bridger Philby.This item also contains translated copies of correspondence between Hussein and the then High Commissioner at Cairo, Sir Arthur Henry McMahon [commonly referred to as the McMahon-Hussein correspondence], dating from July 1915 to January 1916.Physical description: 1 item (330 folios)
Abstract: Part 12 concerns British policy regarding the dispute between Bin Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd, also referred to in the correspondence as Ibn Saud] and King Hussein of Hejaz [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī, King of Hejaz]. Much of the correspondence relates to (unsuccessful) efforts by the British to arrange a meeting between the two rulers. The correspondence discusses conditions and arrangements for a proposed meeting at Mecca (as suggested by Bin Saud), immediately after pilgrimage [Hajj].The correspondence goes on to discuss details of an armistice agreement made between King Hussein's committee and the Nejd deputation, at Mecca. A translation of the agreement states that the two parties agree to end all hostile movements and resume negotiations as soon as possible through the British government.Also included are the following:details of a proposed gift of £5000 from the British government to Bin Saud (plus an honorary GCIE – Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire);proposals of a payment of £30,000 by the British government to King Hussein, on the condition that the King signs a treaty with Turkey [the Treaty of Sèvres, which began the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire];a copy (in Arabic) of the aforementioned Treaty;news of reports that King Hussein's son, Sherif Feisal [Fayṣal bin Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī, also referred to in the correspondence as Amir Feisal], has been crowned King of Syria, and copies of translations of correspondence between Feisal and Bin Saud.The item includes the following principal correspondents:Secretary to the India Office's Political Department (John Evelyn Shuckburgh);Civil Commissioner, Baghdad [held in an officiating capacity by Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Talbot Wilson];High Commissioner, Egypt (General Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby);Political Agent, Bahrain (Major Harold Richard Patrick Dickson);Foreign Office;War Office;Treasury;Bin Saud.Physical description: 1 item (223 folios)
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence, and India Office Secret Department minute papers, mostly relating to French policy regarding the Hedjaz [Hejaz or Hijaz]. This correspondence largely consists of: copies of telegrams between the Foreign Office and the British High Commissioner of Egypt (Sir Arthur Henry McMahon, followed by Sir Francis Reginald Wingate); and copies of correspondence between the Foreign Office and the French Ambassador to the United Kingdom (letters from the French Ambassador are in French). It also includes some correspondence between the India Office and the Foreign Office.The volume includes correspondence concerning: the proposed French civil and military mission to the Sherif [Sharif, also spelled Shereef in the correspondence] of Mecca, Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi; the proposed pilgrimage to Mecca of Muslims from Algeria, Tunis and Morocco, arranged by the French Government; correspondence regarding the reported requests of King Hussein for the employment of Muslim doctors from French colonies in North Africa in the Hedjaz, and for a wireless telegraph installation in the Hedjaz to connect Rabegh [Rabigh], Jeddah and Mecca; and the British desire for the withdrawal of the French Military Mission to the Hedjaz.The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 178; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: This volume consists of two parts, Part 1 (IOR/L/PS/10/740/1) and Part 2 (IOR/L/PS/10/740/2), both of which contain papers relating to the planned establishment of a hostel at Mecca to house pilgrims from the British Empire, and the appointment of a British Muslim Representative at Mecca to look after the interests of such pilgrims.Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 343; 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 310-319; these numbers are written in red pencil. The sequence contains one foliation anomaly, f 232a.
Abstract: The volume consists of individual copies of the
Arab Bulletinnumbers 1-65 produced by the Arab Bureau at the Savoy Hotel, Cairo. They deal with economic, military, and political matters in Turkey, the Middle East, Arabia, and elsewhere, which – in the opinion of British officials – affect the ‘Arab movement’; the bulletins cover a wide range of topics and key personalities.Tables of content can be found at the front of each issue. A small amount of content is in French.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 618; 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 consists of individual copies of the
Arab Bulletinproduced by the Arab Bureau at the Savoy Hotel, Cairo numbers 66-114. These publications contain wartime, and post-war intelligence obtained by British sources. They deal with economic, military, and political matters in Turkey, the Middle East, Arabia, and elsewhere, which – in the opinion of British officials – affect the ‘Arab movement’; the bulletins cover a wide range of topics and key personalities.The volume contains the following maps:A map of Central Arabia showing St John Philby's route from Uqair to Jidda 17 November to 31 December 1917: folio 103.Sketch map prepared from RNAS photographs and reconnaissance by HMS
City of Oxfordof Wadi Mur February to March 1918 : folio 170.Sketch map of Hejaz (1919): folio 317.Tribal sketch map of the Hadhramaut ‘showing only tribes of fighting value’: folios 333v.Towards the back of the volume is a small amount of correspondence respecting the distribution of
Notes on the Middle East; the
Arab Bulletinwas superseded by this publication. Copies of numbers 3-4 of this publication can also be found at the back of the volume.Tables of content can be found at the front of each issue. A small amount of content is in French.Physical description: Condition: the edges of some of the folios towards the back of the volume have suffered damage to their edges due to general wear and tear. The affected folios are 389-390, 407-409, and 412.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 413; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The front cover and the leading flyleaf have not been foliated. A previous foliation sequence, which is present between ff 357-363 and ff 374-412 and is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The volume mostly contains printed copies of despatches from HM Agent and Consul, Jeddah, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, enclosing reports on the situation in the Hejaz (also spelled Hedjaz in the file) [now a region of Saudi Arabia], from January 1924 to December 1930, and related enclosures to the reports. These despatches were sent to the Under-Secretary of State for India by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The volume also includes India Office Political and Secret Department minute papers, which include comments on the reports, and indicate that the reports had been seen by the Under-Secretary of State for India and the Political Committee of the Council of India.The reports are monthly for January to August 1924, May 1925, September 1925 to March 1927, June 1927 to June 1930, and December 1930. Reports between these dates cover shorter periods, except July and August 1930, which are both covered by one report, and September, October and November 1930, which are also covered by one report.The reports discuss matters including the actions of King Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi of the Hejaz, including his attempts to gain recognition as Caliph, and the military and financial situation in the Hejaz during the war between the Hejaz and the Saudi Sultanate of Nejd [Najd]. They report on events of the Hedjaz-Nejd war including: the capture of Taif (September 1924) and Mecca (October 1924) by Nejd; the departure of the ex-King Hussein from Jeddah; the fall of Medina and Jeddah and the surrender of the Hejaz to Sultan Abdul Aziz of Nejd [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd, also known as Ibn Saud] (December 1925); and the formal assumption of the title of King of the Hejaz and Sultan of Nejd and its Dependencies by Ibn Saud (8 January 1925).The reports following the annexation of the Hejaz by Nejd cover internal affairs, including prohibitions introduced for religious reasons, the Hejaz Railway, the financial situation of the Hejaz-Nejd Government, and the Hejaz Air Force. They also report on foreign relations, including: the publication of an agreement, dated 21 October 1926, between Ibn Saud and Sayyid Hassan-el-Idrisi, establishing the suzerainty of Ibn Saud over Asir; relations between Ibn Saud and Imam Yahya of the Yemen; the situation on the frontiers between Nejd and Iraq, and Nejd and Transjordan; and the Treaty of Jeddah between Hejaz-Nejd and Great Britain (20 May 1927). They also report Ibn Saud being proclaimed King of the Hejaz, Nejd and its Dependencies (4 April 1927).In addition, other frequently occurring topics in the reports are: the Pilgrimage [Hajj], including the arrival of pilgrims in the Hejaz, from India, Java and elsewhere, arrangements for the pilgrimage, the welfare of pilgrims, and the repatriation of pilgrims; and the slave trade and slavery in the Hejaz, including the manumission and repatriation of slaves.The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 447; 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 4-444; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file contains papers, mostly India Office minute papers and correspondence, relating to the deportation from the Hejaz of certain Indians for anti-British and pro-Turkish activities (as part of the silk letters movement), and their internment in Malta.The file includes correspondence between the India Office and the following: the Government of India Foreign and Political Department; the High Commissioner for Egypt, Sir (Arthur) Henry McMahon; the Foreign Office; the Colonial Office; and the War Office. The file also includes correspondence between the High Commissioner for Egypt, Sir (Arthur) Henry McMahon, and the Foreign Office, and between the High Commissioner for Egypt and the Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign and Political Department.The file includes photographic copies of the silk letters, which are written in Urdu (folios 63 to 66).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 157; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: Correspondence and other papers concerning the invasion of the Hedjaz [Hejaz] by Wahabi [Wahhabi] forces associated with the Sultan of Najd, Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd], and the subsequent abdication of the King of Hedjaz, Amir Hussein [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī]. The volume contains: reports of the capture of the city of Taif [Ta’if] by Wahabi forces; the British Government’s efforts to ascertain the fate of British Indian Muslims in Taif; correspondence amongst British Government officials about the contents of a message to be sent to Ibn Saud in response to the capture of Taif; correspondence between British Government officials and the Hashemite representative in London, Dr Naji el Assil [Naji al-Asil], regarding the British Government’s decision to pursue a policy of non-intervention in response to events; the abdication of Amir Hussein, and his departure from Mecca via Jeddah and Akaba [Aqaba]; the succession of Amir Ali [‘Alī ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn ‘Alī al-Hāshimī] as King of Hedjaz; Amir Ali’s retreat to Jeddah and reports of Wahabi forces in Mecca; Amir Ali’s attempt to procure loans for troops and war materials; reports of events at Taif and Jeddah, as reported by the British Consul at Jeddah, Reader William Bullard (ff 160-162, ff 83-84, f 46).The volume’s principal correspondents are: the British Consul at Jeddah; the Foreign Office; the Secretary of State for the Colonies, James Henry Thomas; the British High Commissioner of Iraq, Henry Robert Conway Dobbs; the British High Commissioner of Palestine, Herbert Louis Samuel; Naji el Assil.The volume contains a single item in French: a draft of a letter addressed to the Wahabi leader, drawn up by the consular corps in Jeddah (f 131).The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence (f 2).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 419; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.