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'File 61/13 I (D 133) Wahabis and Pilgrimage to Hedjaz' [‎52r] (115/431)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (213 folios). It was created in 21 May 1923-2 Mar 1937. It was written in English and Arabic. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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25
from Riyadh to Mecca for those pilgrims who had travelled to the capital of Nejd
from the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . It looks, therefore, as if the overland route may become more
popular. Should this occur, the Government of India will find itself involved in
increased expenditure on account of repatriation of destitutes, and it is, therefore,
desirable that restrictions be brought into force with a view to reducing to a
minimum the numbers of pilgrims travelling by this route.
39. The method of dealing with destitutes at this Legation is as follows :—
No hint of possible repatriation is given until the last minute before the various
ships sail. The object of this is to induce those who have money and are concealing
the fact to buy a ticket for themselves through fear of missing the steamer, so that
only the genuine destitutes may be left. Secondly, many destitutes during the
waiting period receive charity from the richer pilgrims sufficient to enable them to
buy a ticket, and there are also many rich pilgrims who take destitutes with them on
board at their own expense. The expenses incurred on behalf of repatriation are, in
this way, reduced to a minimum. For instance, the number of destitutes who
tuntt originally applied for repatriation after the Haj reached approximately 300, but,
[em, by following the above system, the numbers were greatly reduced, and those actually
r dn repatriated amounted only to 139.
40. If the news of repatriation were made public earlier in the return season,
= , then those even who possessed tickets would apply for repatriation and either
^attempt to sell their tickets locally or apply for a refund on them on their return to
ni,r India.
alids
41. This practice of not disclosing until the last minute the fact that there will
P be any repatriation at Government expense, a practice which is essential if expenses
P a J. are to be kept down, makes it practically impossible for the Legation to furnish the
.^Government of India beforehand with information as to the number of destitutes to
"o ni be repatriated. Furthermore, up to the last moment, the number continues to be
increased by arrivals from the interior.
42. It would, therefore, be in the interest of the Government of India, and it
would greatly facilitate matters at this end, if the British Legation were empowered
is haste repatriate in anticipation of sanction. In this way it would be possible to obtain
depositthe cheapest rates from the shipping companies, for the Legation would be enabled
^erygito take advantage at any moment of the competitive prices which it is possible to
[e pilpbtain when steamers of different lines are in harbour at one time. To illustrate
thersithis, it may be pointed out that in 1928, when early sanction was received, it was
gedstifound possible to secure destitute passages at the rate of £1 per head on account of
^oihe competition between the companies; in 1929, however, there being only one
ian k s ;:3teamer in port when the sanction arrived, and consequently no competition, the price
vas higher, namely, 25 and 35 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. .
^ 43. The total expense incurred on account of repatriation of destitutes this
^llpeason was 4,011 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. , which included the sum of 351 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. for food on the
gwoyage. Food was supplied at the rate of 3 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. per head by the Pilgrim Food
the fcpupply Company, under the supervision of the master of ship.
^ (jj 44. In case it may be of interest to the Government of India, the following list
las been compiled, showing the proportion of destitutes repatriated according to
agaI pheir provinces of origin :—
sue of s
ngers.
COBftf
n will 1
3 def !
i#
D# !
Name of Province.
Punjab
Madras
Sind
United Provinces
Baluchistan
N.W.F.P. ...
Bengal
Central Provinces
Bombay
No. of Pilgrims.
34
27
22
18
17
6
12
2
1
139
45. Of the above destitutes, ninety-nine travelled to the Hejaz by the overland
•oute and forty by sea; the latter had made declarations in India.
" [21133

About this item

Content

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 An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. (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:

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.

Extent and format
1 volume (213 folios)
Arrangement

The volume is arranged chronologically.

Physical characteristics

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 The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. 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.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 61/13 I (D 133) Wahabis and Pilgrimage to Hedjaz' [‎52r] (115/431), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/575, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023493254.0x000074> [accessed 19 November 2024]

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