"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٥‎١‎١] (١٧٨٢/١٦٦٦)

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result is that, whatever it laigHt have been originally, the whole force of the current
now is between the island and the Turkish bank, while the bay is fast filling up ;
even now a man can wade at low tide from the island to the Persian bank, and there
is no question but that in a few years more the island will become a portion of the
Persian mainland. To describe the island would be to take a piece of swampy alluvial
soil two three or sav even four acres in extent, for I could not well measure it; form
this iDto a parallelogram twice as long up and down the river as broad, and surround it
with hs embankment of clay and reeds sufficient to keep out the ripple of the high tides
but vith slits to allow of irrigation ; surround this with a fringe of bulrushes m extent
three times the area of the parallelogram, but at high tide under water sufficient to
float a boat; and we have a very fair idea of Shallah Inland. The Persian bank of the
Shat-e -Arab opposite this island is low and apparently umnhahited, while the Turkish
side is abrupt and covered with a forest of date trees, and is the private property
of His Excellency Nasir Pasha. Thus Nasir Pa-ha as private propnetor of the opposite
bank built the embankment of clay and reeds on the island a„d m 1876 planted some
offshoots of date trees, while two orth.ee cultivators sowed melons and gourds, but
never permanently lived there. That Nasir Pasha had some ulterior object m view
in making this embankment is certain, for the place is so wretched that not a family
of cultivators, however poor, would accept the island fas a gift on condition of
having to live there permanently.
Turkey embarrassed at the time by war with Russia, eventually
agreed to'e 'vaouate Shalbab, provided that no buildings should be erected
on it by Persian subjects until the question of the country to which it
belonged had been settled by an international Frontier Commission. The
Persians on their part renounced a design which they had formed ot
occupying the island in force. Nasir Pasha was directed toarrange for
the evacuation of the place ; Surgeon -Major Colvill was sent down from
Baghdad to see that the evacuation was properly carried out; and it was
apparently understood that the island should not, pending a final settle
ment, be cultivated by subjects of either side.
The question of Shalhah was raised again in 1884., there being then no 1884
Basrah Wilavat, by the Mutasarrif of Basrah, who claimed that the island
belonged neither to any Persian subject nor to Nasir Pasha personally
but that it was the property of the Turkish Government, who now w.shod
to turn it to account. It was found on investigation at this time that
Shalhah, since its evacuation in 1877, had been in possession of culhva-
tors from the Persian side owing allegiance to the Shaikh of Muhamma .
In 1834 it carried date trees bearing fruit, but the on y mi ings on i
were mud huts The Shaikh of Muhamniareh tried to avoid "^ sl °
which the Mutasarrif of Basrah wished to force on im y as ing
^ .wsb a.
on the failure of this ruse, and on an announcemem oy
that he intended to take the island by force, Shaikh Mi Z al caused som
thousands of his Arabs to be collected on the Persian mainland opposite
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