Abstract: This file contains one letter from Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, Political Agent at Bahrain, to Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven Fowle, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, dated 1 November 1931. The letter concerns the visit to Bahrain in 1931 of His Highness Prince Ahmad Tauhid [Aḥmad Tawḥīd], grandson of the late Sultan Abdul Aziz [‘Abd al-‘Azīz] of Turkey, and Jamal [Jamāl] Pasha, formerly in the service of Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] as his War Minister and who was on an official mission to discover the cause of the great drop in the number of pilgrims to the Hedjaz [al-Ḥijāz] during Hajj.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 5; 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 item consists of copies of correspondence and consultations cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay. These political letters appear in IOR/F/4/2416/130506. It is the twenty-seventh in a series of twenty-eight items on the Persian Gulf. The main correspondents are the Government of Bombay and Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf.The item concerns a request for Hennell to transmit to the Government of Madras a petition from Goolam Nubee Alee Kerbullaee [Ghulām Nabī ʿAlī Karbalāʾī] and a letter from Goolam Mahomed Niamut Oollah, alias Usud Oollah Khan [Ghulām Muḥammad Niʿmat Allāh, alias Asad Allāh Khān]. These two individuals are currently in Bushire [Bushehr], proceeding on pilgrimage to Mecca. Having suffered delays to their journey, they seek to make arrangements with the Government of Madras concerning the allowance and leave of absence granted to them.The item contains a table of contents (f 683), and the title page (f 682) contains the following references: ‘Dft. No. 424 of 1851’, Collection No. 1, Vol. 27’, and ‘Examiner’s Office’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 682 and terminates at f 686, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, British representative in Jeddah, as well as with the Civil Commissioner and High Commissioner at Baghdad.The correspondence concern the deputation of Siddiq Hasan, Indian Assistant of the British Agency at Bahrain, to Ibn Sa‘ūd at Riyadh and to Mecca in 1920. The purpose of the deputation was to accompany Najd pilgrims on the hajj and to facilitate negotiations between Ibn Sa‘ūd's Najd Mission and Sharīf Ḥusayn of Mecca, from which an agreement was concluded on 4 September 1920.The file contains logistic details for the deputation, including the selection of Siddiq Hasan and Farhan Al Rahma, and proposed allowances (folio 5-23), and instructions given to Siddiq Hasan from Major Harold Richard Patrick Dickson (folios 25-27).In addition, the account of Farḥān Āl Rahmah's entitled 'Report of Shaikh Farhan Beg Al Rahmah of the Muntafik. Personal Assistant to Major H.R.P. Dickson, C.I.E., Political Agent, Bahrein, Who Accompanied the Nejd Mission from Bahrein to Mecca via Riyadh and Back' (f. 91); the fifty-eight page account of Siddiq Hasan entitled 'Diary of a Journey from Bahrein to Mecca' (f. 113); notes from the nine meetings between the Najd Mission and the Hashemite Committee between 27 August 1920 and 2 September 1920 (folios 172-210); and an English translation of the agreement between the Najd Committee and King Ḥusayn’s Hashemite Committee, signed 4 September 1920 (folios 209-210). These papers contain details of the political negotiations as well as more ethnographic and topographic observations from the journey from the deputation to Riyadh.Physical description: Foliation: This file has a foliation number in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio. The number is enclosed by a circle.
Abstract: Genre/Subject Matter:This photograph shows Bahraini pilgrims on board the
Khalifa. The foreground and middle-ground are filled with male and female passengers, mostly seated and huddled together, with their belongings in straw baskets and cloth bundles.Inscriptions:Ink, below image: 'Bahreini pilgrims on board the Khalifa.'Physical description: Dimensions:151 x 190 mmCondition:The print is in good condition with minor surface dirt throughout.Foliation:‘33’
Abstract: Memorandum dated 23 April 1877, prepared by Adolphus Warburton Moore, Assistant Secretary in the Political and Secret Department of the India Office. The memorandum was prepared in response to Government discussion over the merit of establishing a British consulate at Jeddah that was ‘free from any connection with private trade’, and court proceedings against the steamship
Medina, chartered by the British Consul at Jeddah, George de Jong Beyts, in his capacity as the director of Beyts & Co., for the conveyance of pilgrims to Jeddah. The memorandum provides a précis of correspondence related to the subject of the Jeddah Consulate between 1852 and 1877.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f 121, and terminates at f 125, since it is part of a larger physical volume; 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 the bottom right-hand corner of the recto of each folio. These numbers are written in pencil, but are not circled.Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: British officials in Bahrain and other Arab Gulf States received information at regular intervals about the regulations imposed on pilgrims travelling to the Hejaz, by the Saudi Arabian Government. This information enabled the British authorities to make the necessary administrative arrangements for the many Arab and Indian pilgrims in their territories wishing to travel to Saudi Arabia.All documents in the file were circulated to the Political Agent, Bahrain and others from January 1927 onwards. The earliest document circulated was a copy of rule changes relating to sanitation on Pilgrim Ships, printed in October 1925 by the Government of India Home Department (folios 4 to 7).The file contains Arabic transcripts and English translations of the public notices that were published annually in the Mecca newspaper
Umm ul Qura. These set out the tariff of fees to be collected by the Saudi Arabian Government from pilgrims travelling to the Hejaz. They were compiled by the British Consul, Jeddah and then widely circulated by the Government of India, Department of Education, Health and Lands.Physical description: Foliation: numbered 1-178, 178A, 179-200, 201A, 201B, 202-233, 234A, 234B, 235A, 235B, 236-260, 261A, 261B, 262-266, 267A, 267B, 268-297, 298A, 298B, 299-341. The numbering is written in pencil in the top right corner of the folio and encircled. The numbering starts at the front of the file, on the file cover (f 1) and ends on the inside cover at the back of the file (f 341). Folios 117 and 179 are folded.There is an incomplete, secondary foliation sequence in the file. Most folios from 8 to 322 are also numbered 2 to 329 (with a few gaps) in the top right corner, in pencil but not circled.
Abstract: British officials in Bahrain and other Arab Gulf States received information at regular intervals about the regulations imposed on pilgrims travelling to the Hejaz, by the Saudi Arabian Government. This information enabled the British authorities to make the necessary administrative arrangements for the many Arab and Indian pilgrims in their territories wishing to travel to Saudi Arabia.The first document in the file (folio 2) is a circulation slip dated 3 August 1941, indicating that the Political Agent, Bahrain sent copies of the Pilgrimage Tariff and Guide Book for the 1941-1942 pilgrimage, to the following Bahrain and British officials: Adviser to the Bahrain Government; Publicity Officer in the Persian Gulf, Bahrain; Residency Agent, Sharjah. A copy of the Pilgrimage Tariff and Guide Book, which was published annually by the Government of Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is not enclosed in the file.The main documents in the file are: two telegrams from the Charge d’Affaires, British Consul, Jeddah, 1947 and 1949; a memorandum from the Political Agent, Bahrain, 1949, to the Adviser to the Bahrain Government and the Clerk-in-Charge, British Residency, Sharjah. These contain the following information about the Saudi Arabian Government’s modifications to the pilgrimage tariff for 1947 and 1949: the requirements for pilgrims to keep receipts for all fees, dues and transport costs; to travel in one class of transport within Saudi Arabia; the exemption from fees for pilgrim children, introduced in 1947.Physical description: Foliation: numbered 1-13. The numbering is written in pencil in the top right corner of the folio and encircled. The numbering starts at the front of the file, on the file cover (f 1) and ends on the inside cover at the back of the file (f 13).There is an incomplete, secondary foliation sequence in the file. Folios 3 to 5 are also numbered 1 to 3 in the top right corner, in pencil and encircled.
Abstract: The volume consists of letters, telegrams, memoranda, reports, and intelligence reports concerning Ibn Sa'ud and Najd affairs. The bulk of the correspondence is between: Harold Dickson, the Political Agent in Bahrain; Arnold Wilson, the Civil Commissioner in Baghdad; Ibn Sa'ud; King Hussein of the Hijaz; his son, Amir Faisal; the Government of India; the India Office, in London; the Foreign Office, in London; Edmund Allenby, the High Commissioner in Cairo; Arthur Trevor, the Political Resident in Bushire; Siddiq Hassan, the Indian assistant in Bahrain; Colonel Vickery, British Agent in Jeddah; and the Political Agencies in Kuwait and Muscat.The main subject covered by the volume is the dispute between Ibn Saud and King Hussein over territory (the Khurma/Turaba dispute), Bedouin raids near Taif, and the freedom for Najdis to perform the Hajj. Also contained in the volume are reports, memoranda, and letters concerning Siddiq Hassan's mission to Mecca to perform the Hajj and to witness talks between King Hussein and Ibn Sa'ud's deputy, Thanaiyan bin Sa'ud.Other prominent subjects covered by the volume are:intelligence reports and correspondence relating to Ibn Sa'ud and the Ikhwan movement in relation to other tribes and chieftaincies of the Arabian Peninsula, especially al-Rashid (Shammar) and including Ajman and Oman;the border disputes with Kuwait;the spread of Arab Nationalism and socialist thought in Syria and Iraq, including commentary on the 1920 Iraqi Revolt.Other issues covered mainly by correspondence are the appointment of a doctor for Ibn Sa'ud, jurisdiction over Najdi subjects in Bahrain, the subsidy paid to Ibn Sa'ud by the British, the Idrisi statelet in the 'Asir Mountains, Ibn Sa'ud's gift of two oryxes to King George V, and the organisation of a meeting between Percy Cox and Ibn Sa'ud.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation system begins at the front of the volume on the title page (f 1) and ends at the back of the volume on the last page (f 371). The numbers are written in pencil, circled and positioned in the top right corner on the recto of each folio. The inside back cover is irregularly numbered as folios '368-371'. The folios have a secondary and different pencilled number in the same position, from a former and inconsistent foliation system.Condition: the spine cover is detached from the volume and enclosed in a plastic sleeve numbered folio 372, at the back of the volume. The plastic sleeve may cause some loss of sharpness to the digital of the spine cover.
Abstract: The volume consists of letters, telegrams, memoranda, reports, and notes relating to Ibn Sa'ud and the affairs of Najd. The correspondence is mostly between: Harold Dickson, the Political Agent in Bahrain; Percy Cox, the High Commissioner in Baghdad; Ibn Sa'ud; King Hussein of the Hijaz; the Government of India, in Simla and Calcutta; the India Office, in London; the Foreign Office, in London; Arthur Trevor, the Political Resident in Bushire; and Siddiq Hassan, the Indian assistant in Bahrain.Most of the volume relates to the territorial and political disputes between Ibn Sa'ud and King Hussein, with particular coverage of the mission to Mecca to conclude an agreement between Ibn Sa'ud and King Hussein, carried out by Ahmad bin Abdullah al-Thanaiyan, and Siddiq Hassan and Farhan al Rahmah, the Sa'udi and British representatives respectively.Notable is the diary of Siddiq Hassan (ff 103-116v) written during his mission to Mecca, and his notes on the numerous meetings he had with King Hussein and the talks between the latter and Thanaiyan. Included as appendices to these notes are the following: a draft, in Arabic, of the eventual agreement signed by the two parties; a letter, in Arabic, from Hassan bin 'Ali ibn 'Aayidh, Chief of 'Assir, to King Hussein; another letter in Arabic from King Hussein to Siddiq Hassan; and an English translation of the finalised agreement. Also present is a report of the journey by Farhan al-Rahmah (ff. 116v-121v).Other topics covered by the volume are as follows:the continued fighting and negotiations between Ibn Sa'ud and the Ikhwan on the one side and the al-Rashid (Shammar) on the other;the ongoing border dispute between Ibn Sa'ud and Kuwait;developments in 'Asir and the 'Idrisi movement;Ibn Sa'ud's British subsidy;revolt in Iraq and Syria, and the spread of Arab Nationalism;relations between Ibn Sa'ud and other tribal groups, and his growing influence in the region.Physical description: Foliation: Numbers are written in pencil, in the top right corner, on the recto of each folio. The numbering is irregular, begins on the first folio at the front of the volume and is as follows: 1A-E, 2-78, 99-121, 162-165, 166A, 166B, 167-172, 173A, 173B, 174-177, 178A, 178B, 179-181, 183-198, 199, 199A-199Z, 199A1-199Q1, 200-237, 239-293. There are no folios numbered 182 or 238. Fold-out folios: 199A1, 199F1.Condition: the spine cover is detached from the volume and enclosed in a plastic sleeve numbered folio 372, at the back of the volume. The plastic sleeve may cause some loss of sharpness to the digital image of the spine cover.
Abstract: The volume consists of letters, telegrams, and memoranda relating to relations between Najd and the Hejaz. The majority of the correspondence is between Reader Bullard, the British Agent in Jeddah, the Political Residency in Bushire, the Political Agency in Bahrain, the Political Agency in Kuwait, the High Commissioner in Baghdad, the Colonial and Foreign Offices, both in London, the High Commissioner in Jerusalem, the Government of India, and Ibn Sa'ud himself, or his representatives.Most of the volume covers events leading up to, and immediately after, the Ikhwan's capture of Taif, including Hussein ibn 'Ali's abdication and his son 'Ali's attempts to retain control of the Hejaz. There is a detailed report of the capture of Taif by Bullard (folios 186-201, 273-281). The documents reflect British concern with the reaction of Indian Muslims, with duplicates of correspondence regularly forwarded to numerous offices back in India. Some papers are about the effort to evacuate British Indian refugees and pilgrims from the region.Other subjects covered in the volume are:the build-up to and ultimate failure of the Kuwait Conference of 1923-24;King Fuad of Egypt's suspected financial backing of Ibn Sa'ud's takeover of the Hejaz;the defining of the Hejaz-Trans-Jordan border;the motivations and movements of St John Philby and Rosita Forbes, both of whom were thought to be trying to gain entryinto Central Arabia.Notable in the volume are a newspaper cutting from
The Times of Mesopotamia, dated 13 July 1923, regarding treaty negotiations between Britain and King Hussein (folio 4), and extracts of letters from Ameen Rihani to Ibn Sa'ud that had been intercepted by the British and which offer advice on foreign policy.Physical description: Main foliation sequence: numbers are written in pencil and circled, in the top right corner on the recto of each folio. The numbering, which starts on the front cover of the volume and ends on the inside back cover, is as follows: 1A-1D, 2-262.Secondary and earlier foliation sequence: the numbers 1 to 322 are written in pencil in the top right corner on the recto of each folio, except for the internal office notes at the back of the volume, which are paginated in pencil from 1 to 23. Published copies of four British Government reports at the front of the volume (renumbered as folios 2-63) also have pencilled page numbers written on them.Condition: broken spine cover.
Abstract: The volume consists of letters, telegrams, and memoranda relating to the situation in the Hejaz at the time, with Ali entrenched in Jeddah and Ibn Sa'ud's Ikhwan in Mecca. The majority of the correspondence is between Reader Bullard, the British Agent in Jeddah, the Political Residency in Bushire, the British Residency in Aden, the Political Agency in Bahrain, the Political Agency in Kuwait, the High Commissioner in Baghdad, the Colonial and Foreign Offices, both in London, the High Commissioner in Jerusalem, the Government of India, and Ibn Sa'ud himself, or his representatives.Running through the volume and forming its backbone are several reports by Bullard about the situation on the ground in Jeddah. Around these, much of the papers relate to the question of who will govern the Holy Places of Mecca and Medina once Ali finally leaves.Other subjects covered in the volume are:The motivations and movements of St John Philby and Rosita Forbes;The actions of the Wahabi attackers;British concern with Indian Muslim opinion on the state of affairs;the prospect of a safe Hajj that year;reports of Soviet influence in the area;what to do about ex-King Hussein.Physical description: Foliation: The sequence starts on the first folio of writing and continues through to the inside back cover. The first four folios are marked 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D, and then proceed as normal from 2 onwards. The numbers are written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The volume consists of letters, telegrams, memoranda, and reports relating to the Hajj pilgrimage to the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina. The majority of the correspondence is between the British Agency (later British Legation) in Jeddah, the Foreign Office, Colonial Office, and Indian Office in London, the British Residencies in Bushire and Aden, the High Commissioners in Cairo and Baghdad, the Political Agencies in Bahrain and Kuwait, and Ibn Sa'ud.Contained in the volume are the annual reports on the pilgrimage composed by the Agent in Jeddah for the years 1929-1935 inclusive. Each report consists of some or all of the following:a general introduction;information on quarantine;statistics;information on health, transport, customs, 'mutawwifs' (pilgrim guides), religious policy, tariffs and the cost of pilgrimage, and pilgrims from other Muslim regions of the British Empire (India, Afghan, Malay, West Africa, Sudan, Iraq, Palestine, Transjordan, Sarawak, Somalia, Zanzibar and East Africa, South Africa, Aden, Hadhramaut, Muscat, Bahrain, and Kuwait).Other documents cover the following subjects:the Hajj under King Hussein and the implications of a Wahhabi conquest of the Holy Cities;an attack on Yemeni pilgrims by the Ikhwan in August 1923 and the subsequent fighting;an Egyptian Medical Mission to Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina to assist with the pilgrimage;Jeddah's water supply;a new motor road between Medina and Najaf;Japanese interest in the pilgrim trade;the formation and progress of a National First-Aid Society in the Hejaz and Nejd;the religious tolerance of the Wahhabis, specifically the kissing of the Black Stone in Mecca.At the back of the volume (folios 205-206) are internal office notes.Physical description: Foliation: The sequence starts on the first folio and continues through to the inside back cover, the numbers written in pencil, circled, and located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The only irregularities are the first three folios (ff 1A-1C).Fold-out folio: f 2.There is an inconsistent and incomplete pagination sequence that is also written in pencil but is not circled.