Abstract: This volume, which largely consists of copies of Foreign Office and Colonial Office correspondence, concerns affairs on the Nejd-Transjordan frontier and relations between Hejaz-Nejd (later Saudi Arabia) and Transjordan generally.The beginning of the volume's correspondence follows on from IOR/L/PS/12/2096, documenting the British Government's response to a revolt against Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] in the northern part of the Hejaz, led by Ibn Rifada [Shaikh Hamid Ibn Rifadah].The correspondence includes discussion of the following:Reports of tribesmen crossing the frontier from Transjordan into the Hejaz.Accounts of meetings between the High Commissioner for Transjordan (Arthur Grenfell Wauchope) and Amir Abdullah [ʿAbdullāh bin Ḥusayn al-Hāshimī].Suspicions that Amir Abdullah could be assisting the revolt.Reports of the death of Ibn Rifada and his two sons.Reports of an alleged conspiracy against Ibn Saud, attributed to Hussein ad-Dabbagh.The likelihood of an agreement being concluded between Hejaz-Nejd and Transjordan, possibly along similar lines to a recent agreement between the Hejaz-Nejd and Iraq governments.King Feisal of Iraq's proposal to intervene to improve relations between Ibn Saud and Amir Abdullah.Plans for the expulsion of Beni Atiya [Beni ‘Atīyah] tribesmen from Transjordan into Saudi Arabia.The volume's principal correspondents are the following: His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); the High Commissioner, Transjordan (Arthur Grenfell Wauchope); the High Commissioner, Egypt (Sir Percy Loraine); the High Commissioner, Iraq (Francis Henry Humphrys); the British Resident, Transjordan (Charles Henry Fortnom Cox); His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires to Jedda (Cecil Gervase Hope Gill); the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Philip Cunliffe-Lister); officials of the Foreign Office and Colonial Office.In addition to correspondence, the volume contains the following:Copies of the minutes of interdepartmental meetings (featuring representatives of the Colonial Office, the Foreign Office, the India Office, and in one instance, the Air Ministry) on the subject of relations between Transjordan and Saudi Arabia.A copy of a memorandum by Sir Andrew Ryan, which discusses the possible connection of Amir Abdullah and/or his entourage to recent attempts to undermine Ibn Saud.A copy of a memorandum by Captain John Bagot Glubb, Acting Commanding Officer of the Arab Legion, entitled 'Memorandum on the Beni Atiya Situation'.The French material in this volume consists of one newspaper cutting.The volume includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume 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 458; 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 148-191; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the two leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence, memoranda, and minutes related to a proposal to relocate the Persian Gulf Air Route (linking Europe and India) from Southern Persia to the Arabian Coast. The proposal is related to difficulties between the British and Persian governments over securing an extension of Imperial Airways' concession to operate in Persia. The volume therefore also contains papers related to the progress of negotiations between the British Government and the Government of Persia. However, the majority of the volume relates to the examination of the Arabian Coast option; this includes potential route options, possible sites for facilities, estimates of expenditure, and progress reports on negotiations between the Trucial Shaikhs – primarily at Dubai and Ra's al-Khaymah – and Hugh Vincent Biscoe, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.The volume also contains minutes of the meetings of the Official and Ministerial Sub-Committees of Imperial Defence for the Consideration of Middle Eastern Questions: 2 November 1931 (folios 226-35), 5 November 1931 (folios 217-25), 17 November 1931 (folios 175-82), 17 December 1931 (folios 89-102), and 15 February 1932 (folios 28-31 and folios 22-5). Related notes and memoranda can also be found within the volume.A number of extracts from reports (dated 24 March, 26 April, and 25 September 1932) from E C Denison and D S McGrath, Commanding HMS
Bideford, on trips to the Trucial Coast can be found on folios 3-9; this includes details relating to the construction of the Sharjah Aerodrome.The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, officials of the Admiralty, officials the Air Ministry, officials of the Foreign Office, and officials of the India Office.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.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 395; 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 cover, nor does it include the two leading flyleaves.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: This volume concerns the British Government's response to the presence of anti-Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] rebels in northern part of the Hejaz during May-July 1932, reportedly led by Sheikh Hamid Ibn Rafadah [Shaikh Hamid Ibn Rifadah].The volume mostly consists of copies of Foreign Office and Colonial Office correspondence (a large amount of which has been forwarded by the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East) discussing the following:Reports of an anti-Ibn Saud movement, allegedly organised by a society named Hizb-Al-Hejazi, based in Cairo, with additional members in Transjordan and Mecca.Reports of rebels from the Hejaz entering Transjordan.The decision taken by the British Government to send HMS
Penzanceto Akaba [Aqaba], in the hope that it will have a 'restraining effect' if anti-Ibn Saud rebels retreat through Akaba.Rumours that the Egyptian Government is lending assistance to the movement.Suspicions that Amir Abdullah [ʿAbdullāh bin Ḥusayn al-Hāshimī] could be assisting the revolt.The possibility of closing the Transjordan frontier.Reports of an alleged plot to assassinate Emir Faisal [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd] during his forthcoming visit to Iraq.Measures taken by the Egyptian Government to prevent supplies and munitions from being sent by sea to rebels in the Hejaz.British concerns over the timing of the proposed visit of King Ali [‘Alī bin Ḥusayn al-Hāshimī] to Transjordan.Whether the British should make attempts to persuade Amir Abdullah to conclude a treaty of friendship with Ibn Saud.The volume features the following principal correspondents: the High Commissioner for Egypt (Sir Percy Loraine); the High Commissioner for Transjordan (Arthur Grenfell Wauchope); the High Commissioner for Iraq (Francis Henry Humphrys); the British Resident, Transjordan (Charles Henry Fortnom Cox); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires to Jedda (Cecil Gervase Hope Gill); the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Philip Cunliffe-Lister); the Senior Officer of the Red Sea Sloops; officials of the Foreign Office and Colonial Office.In addition to correspondence the volume contains a copy of the minutes of a meeting of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East, dated 9 June 1932.The volume includes two dividers which give a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 465; 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 four leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: This volume contains copies of correspondence between British officials regarding the construction of the Hedjaz [Hijaz] Railway. The correspondence discusses a number of different aspects of the railway including its route, the progress of its construction and donations made towards its construction by members of the Muslim community in India.A limited amount of the correspondence in the volume is in French, including a copy of a letter sent by Paul Cambon, the French Ambassador in London, to Sir Edward Grey, the Foreign Secretary (folio 15).The volume contains a number of reports and related information about the railway. Of particular interest are the following:A report on the Hejaz Railway by Major Francis Richard Maunsell, dated July 1907 (ff 56-69)A memorandum respecting German influence on the Hejaz Railway by George Ambrose Lloyd, 1906 (ff 95-96)A list of the principal stations on the Hejaz Railway with approximate distances between Damascus and each station (f 100)A map of the Hejaz Railway with list of stations (f 106)A report by Mr Teofani Loiso, Vice-Consul at Mersina, based on information provided to him by his son who was employed as an engineer on the railway (ff 105-107)A report by Herr Otto von Kapp Kohlstein, a German engineer who inspected the Haifa-Damascus branch of the route and worked on the construction of the Damascus-Maan branch (ff 107-109).In addition, the volume contains cuttings (and translations) of press articles related to several aspects of the railway and its construction. Also included are two maps. The Turkish (Ottoman) language material consists of the second of these two maps.The volume includes a divider which gives the year that the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in it arranged by year. This divider is placed at the front of the volume.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 240; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. It should be noted that the covers of this volume have not been foliated.
Abstract: The volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, and notes relating to the general situation in Arabia and in particular relations between Sultan of Nejd Bin Sa'ud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] and King Hussain [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī] of Hejaz. Correspondence discusses a Foreign Office proposal for a conference of Arabian chiefs in London, Aden or Malta, as well as hospitality offered in Mecca for pilgrims from Nejd.Principal correspondents include the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent, Kuwait.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 404; 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 contains correspondence, mainly Foreign Office despatches received from Jedda, relating to the creation of the Hejaz Air Force by Ibn Saud, with the assistance of the British Government and British air personnel. The main correspondents are the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Government of Hejaz and Nejd, the British Representative at Jedda and the Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office, London. The topics discussed include the selection of air bases, the purchase and supply of aircraft, bombs, machine guns, parts, stores, fuel and wireless telegraphy, the recruitment of airmen and the drafting of their employment contracts, national markings for the Hejaz aircraft and the prohibition against non-Muslim pilots from flying over the Holy Places of Islam at Mecca and Medina.The volume includes two dividers which give the subject number, the year the file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. These are 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 700; 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 263-699; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: Papers concerning the impact of war between Britain and Turkey upon shipping, food supplies and travellers on Hajj pilgrimage, along the Red Sea coast of Arabia (including the Hedjaz [Hejaz] and Yemen), and the wider Arab region. Subjects covered include:Reports of food shortages in the Hedjaz region (including at Jeddah and Mecca), prompted by the Government of India’s prohibition of exports to the region from India in March 1914, the subsequent reinstatement of exports (announced in a communiqué from the Viceroy in May 1915, folios 90-91), and reports of the seizure of foodstuffs by the Turkish authorities at Mecca and Jeddah (ff 44-48).Arrangements for the shipment of foodstuffs to the Hedjaz from Egypt.Italian shipping in the Red Sea, including reports of Italian ships stopping at Turkish-controlled ports, and articles banned from being shipped by Italian vessels (ff 167-168).A reported incident in February 1915, in which Turkish military authorities requisitioned 30,000 sacks of barley from an Italian vessel, reported as being intended for Egyptian pilgrims (ff 153-162).The role of the Italian authorities in the Hedjaz in the distribution of supplies, and the implications on this role of Italy’s entry into the war (ff 85-89).Famine in Yemen, reported by British officials as being the result of locust outbreaks in the region, and shipping restrictions from India (ff 122-124).Discussion of whether British subjects from India should be prohibited, or only discouraged from, travelling to Arabia on pilgrimage in 1915 (ff 69-77).The High Commissioner in Egypt, Arthur Henry McMahon’s 1915 proclamation ‘to the people of Arabia’ (English text, folio 64), including responses to the proclamation, and discussion of its implications, amongst Foreign and India Office staff (ff 54-64).Copies of correspondence from McMahon, dated March to June 1916, regarding his negotiations with Shereef [Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi] (ff 18-32).In May 1916, a further blockade on foodstuffs to Jeddah (ff 5-17).The volume’s principal correspondents include: the British High Commissioner in Egypt (Arthur Henry McMahon); the India Office (Arthur Hirtzel, Thomas William Holderness); the British Political Resident at Aden (Charles Henry Uvedale Price); the Viceroy and Governor-General of India (Charles Hardinge).The file contains a single item of correspondence in French, a copy of a letter from the Banque Imperiale Ottomane at Djeddah [Jeddah], dated 27 November 1914 (ff 180-183).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 228; 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.
Abstract: Correspondence and other papers relating to the invasion of the Hejaz region of Arabia by Wahabi [Wahhabi] troops under the Sultan of Najd, Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd]. The papers cover: the Wahabi attack on Jeddah, and a blockade of the coast to the south of Jeddah; reports from the British naval vessels HMS
Cornflowerand HMS
Concord, posted to the Red Sea to monitor the situation at Jeddah; the movements of the deposed King Hussein of Hejaz [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī]; appeals made by King Ali of Hejaz [‘Alī bin Ḥusayn al-Hāshimī] for the British Government to intervene in the war between Hejaz and Najd forces; King Ali’s attempts to raise funds in England to pay for Hejaz troops; concerns over the security of pilgrims travelling to Mecca during the war.The volume’s principal correspondents are: the British Consul at Jeddah, Reader William Bullard; the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India; the Foreign Office; Commander and Senior Officer of the Red Sea Patrol on board HMS
Cornflower, Commander Stuart Elton Holder, superseded in February 1925 by Commander Evelyn Twysden Wickham.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 4).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 401; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: This file contains papers that pertain to various military and intelligence fields of operation during 1916, specifically relating to the First World War in the region of Hejaz and the broader Arabian peninsula. The bulk of the file is comprised of reports on various military, intelligence, and propaganda issues variously called 'the Arab report' or 'Arabian Report'. The file also contains reports on the massacre and forced migration of Armenians during the War, as well as intelligence gathering efforts by British officials on Indian Muslim political mobilisation in support of an independent Arab Kingdom in the Hejaz or the Ottoman Empire, often described as 'Pan-Islamist' in the file.Most of the correspondence relating to Pan-Islamist political mobilisation is conducted through the transmission and translation of newspaper articles in Iraqi, Egyptian, Indian, Syrian, and other Arab publications.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 473; 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 ending flyleaves.
Abstract: This part of the volume contains correspondence and other papers concerning relations between Nejd, Transjordan, Hejaz, Yemen, and the Idrisi state, as well as policy in Arabia more generally. Correspondence comes from officials at the India Office, Foreign Office, War Office, the Political Residency in Aden, the Office of the High Commissioner in Palestine, the Office of the High Commissioner in Cairo, the Office of the High Commissioner in Iraq, and the British Agency at Jeddah. Further correspondence comes from King Hussein [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī] of the Hejaz, his sons Emir Abdullah [ʿAbdullāh bin Ḥusayn al-Hāshimī] and Emir Feisal [Fayṣal bin Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī], the French Ambassador in London, and officials of the German and United States Governments.This part deals with relations between Nejd and the neighbouring territories of Transjordan, the Hejaz, Yemen, and the Idrisi state. Matters covered include the supply of Arms to the Idrisi, control of Hodeidah and the proposed withdrawal of the British garrison there, the British subsidy to Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd]of Nejd, efforts to reach an agreement between the Hejaz and Nejd, trouble along the Transjordan boundary involving the Ikhwan and local tribes, and future British policy in the region.Physical description: 1 item (133 folios)
Abstract: The volume contains parts 3 and 4 of the subject 'Ibn Saud: Treaty Negotiations'. A related volume (IOR/L/PS/10/1165) contains parts 1 and 2 of the subject, under its former name 'Arabia: Relations with Ibn Saud'.Part 3 (IOR/L/PS/10/1166/1) concerns the treaty negotiations with Ibn Saud, who is also referred to as Bin Saud.Part 4 (IOR/L/PS/10/1166/2) concerns the attitude of His Majesty's Government to its right to manumit slaves.Part 3 includes two dividers and Part 4 includes one divider. These give 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. These are 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 521; 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 5-518; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.