'File 61/11 V (D 95) Hejaz - Nejd, Miscellaneous' [‎183r] (382/530)

bj/i
THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT
CONFIDENTIAL.
~
LfcUSHitft RESIDENCY An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. , j
y
July 10, 1933.
S ection 5.
rM
J flOSfjUENTiAi HtflQfiPS ^
[E 3745/3745/25]
Sir A. Ryan to Sir John Simon.—{Received July 10.)
^ Jedda, June 19, 1933.
' WITH reference to your circular of the 31st March last, I have the honour
to submit a report on personalities in Sa'udi Arabia. It is the first report of the
kind since this post became a Legation, as I found it impossible for various
reasons to take action on earlier circulars on the subject.
2. You will appreciate the difficulties of compiling such a report in a
country like this. Their very nature has made it desirable to err on the side of
comprehensiveness, in order to collect in a single document information derived
from very scattered sources. I have included persons like provincial governors,
of whom very little is known, but who occupy key positions, many of the aliens
who crowd the Sa'udi stage, and a certain number of expatriates who have been
busy in the wings. In some cases, where relationships are interesting or important,
I have dealt with family groups. This gives a confusing appearance to the rather
formidable index, but I think that it will contribute to the utility of the report.
3. The report owes much to the researches of Mr. Hope Gill during his stay
here, and to the personal knowledge of the Indian vice-consul and certain other
members of my staff.
4. The typing of this report has been delayed by pressure of more urgent
work. The report contains information up to the end of April 1933, with a small
number of additions based on important information received in May. I propose
to furnish the lists of amendments, &c., called for in your circular despatch under
reference early in 1934, but I would ask to be allowed to postpone this until I have
been able to obtain suggestions from the British authorities in the surrounding
countries, to whom copies of the report will doubtless be circulated in print. I
am already greatly indebted to those authorities for information gleaned from
their general intelligence summaries, &c.
I have, &c.
ANDREW EYAN.
Enclosure in No. 1.
Personalities in Sa'udi Arabia.
I ndex.
Note on Titles, &c.
1. SAeH/.—Said to apply strictly in Arabia to persons recognised as being
in the direct male descent from Hasan, the son of the Caliph Ali. There is,
however, much confusion as to the exact meaning of this and the following term.
2. Seyyid. —Said to apply in Arabia, though much abused in some other
countries, only to persons recognised as being in the male descent from Huseyn,
the son of 'Ali. . _
3. A mir. —Given as a title to all princes of the blood and describes the omce
of practically all provincial governors.
4. Applied very widely, but not indiscriminately, not only to
tribal personages, but to townsmen of consequence, especially, perhaps, though not
exclusively, to those in official positions, e.g., Sheykh Yusuf Yasin.
5. Bey. —Still used, sometimes in preference to Sheykh, by persons who
would have been so called by right or courtesy in the Turkish system and who
may dislike the association of Sheykh " with age or desert life, e.g., Fuad Bey
Hamza.
6967 [8861] B