Skip to item: of 92
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

‘Persian Gulf gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Précis of Katar [Qatar] affairs, 1873-1904.’ [‎38r] (75/92)

The record is made up of 1 volume (46 folios). It was created in 1904. It was written in English. 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. .

Transcription

This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.

Apply page layout

65
Majesty's Government cannot acquiesce in a Turkish occupation oi that
port.
Zobara and Odeid are in the Vilayet of Basrah, and have long heen
administered hy KaimmaTiams and Mudirs.
Sublime Porte, No. 13, dated 26th January 1892. ^egj^ent could not be Ignorant
of the fact that the sovereignty of His Imperial Majesty the Sultan extended
over the countries in question, and he should have abstained from exercising
the rdle of mediator between the Arab Sheikhs without the previous^ assent of
the Porte. In any case, the Ottoman Government having been left in ignorance
of this act, it can have no influence on its sovereign rights. Moreover, it is
merely an armistice between Sheikhs, and could in no case be invoked against
the establishment of Turkish military posts at Zobara and Odeid.
The Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. reports that there are no
Turkish troops at Zobara, and that Odeid
Foreign office No. 73, dated 29th March 1892. . g Reports are prevalent that
the Turks intend to send troops to Katr to attack Jasim. The Resident suggests
that he would be justified in preventing the Turks from occupying either
Zobara or Odeid, and compelling their evacuation if suddenly seized. He has
been instructed in reply by Lord Lansdowne to report any movements of the
Turks on Zobara or Odeid, but to take no measures of forcible opposition with
out orders.
In 1803 the question of the Katar coast came to the fore, and the Porte
informed Sir C. Eord that the Sultan contemplated sending troops to the Katar
coast as a dependency of the Nejd. His Majesty's Government instructed the
Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. to proceed in a ship of war to enquire into the
disturbance. The Turkish Government deprecated the despatch of a British
ship, and stated that'the place formed an integral part of the Ottoman domi
nions ; a telegram was communicated by them from the Governor and inhabit
ants of Katr, acknowledging the Sultan's sovereignty.
Colonel Talbot, who did proceed to El Bidaa, recommended that an effort
should be made to procure the withdrawal
Foreign Office No. 123, dated 23rd May 1893. 0 f the Turks from the Katar peninsula.
A proposal was made to negotiate with the Sultan to resign his supposed rights
over the Katar peninsula to Jasim and Ahmed, his brother, but Lord Kosebery
thought that nothing would come of it.
Lord Kimberley subsequently proposed that Her Majesty's Government
should continue the policy laid down
Foreign office No. 225, dated 29th August 893. 0 f denying Turkish jurisdiction
over El Katar. Lord Rosebery assented, but did not think it necessary to make
any official communication on the subject to the Turkish Government, unless
they raised the question officially. Rustera Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. was reminded unofficially
of Lord Granville's Declaration of the 7th May 1883 (see above Minute
on 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. , 10th August 1893, in Confidential Paper 6410).
The Government of India have directed that the Commandant and Senior
Naval Officer may be informed that His
Foreign Office No. 94, dated 27tb March 1894. ships are no t to recognise
Turkish rule at El Bidaa, but that British naval officers should avoid giving
Turkish officials any opportunity of asserting by overt action such nominal
authority as the Porte possesses in that locality, and owing to this His Majesty's
ships should refrain from visiting the harbour of El Bidaa except when special
occasion for doing so arises.
The 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. drew attention to the discrepancy in the suggestion
contained in the Foreign Office letter to the 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. of the 26th August
1893, of recognising the nominal suzerainty of the Porte at El Bidaa so long
as the Turkish authorities do not move beyond the limits of the town. It was
pointed out that this was incompatible with the instructions of the Govern
ment of India that Her Majesty's ships should not recognise Turkish rule at
El Bidaa. In reply, the Eoreign Office concurred in the instruction to the
Naval Commander.

About this item

Content

The volume, stamped ‘Confidential’ on the front cover, is part 1 (historical and political materials) of a précis of Qatar (spelt Katar throughout) affairs for the years 1873 to 1904. It was prepared by Judge Jerome Antony Saldanha of the Bombay Provincial Civil Service, and published in 1904 by the Government of India Foreign Department, Simla, India.

The main subjects of the précis, which is comprised chiefly of extracts from Government correspondence, run as follows:

  • Turkish movements in Qatar, 1873; Chief of Bahrain (spelt Bahrein throughout) advised to keep aloof from complications in Qatar, 1873;
  • British intervention refused to Chief of Debai [Dubai] in case robberies committed against vessels of his subjects on Qatar coast, 1873;
  • Threatened attack on Bahrain and Qatar (Zobarah [Zubara]) by the Bedouin tribes of Beni Hajir, 1874;
  • Complaints of Turkey about Chief of Bahrain’s encroachments in Qatar, 1874;
  • The Beni Hajir attack Zubara and commit piracies, 1875;
  • Aggressive policy of the Turks and establishment of a new Turkish province on the Arabian littoral of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ;
  • Plunder of a Bahrain boat by the Beni Hajir and an excessive contribution levied by the Chief of Bidaa [Al-Bidda] on British Indian traders residing there;
  • Claims preferred by the Government of Basrah [Basra] on behalf of the inhabitants of Qatar against certain residents of Bahrain, 1876;
  • Alleged ill-treatment of British Indian subjects, 1879;
  • Piracies at Zubara – destruction of Zubara by Shaikh Jasim [Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thānī], 1878;
  • Ill-treatment of Indian traders, 1879;
  • Question of suppression of piracies on the Arab coast. Claims of the Turks to Odeid [’Odaid] (1871-81); previous history of ’Odaid, 1837-76;
  • History of ’Odaid continued, question of Turkish jurisdiction on the Qatar coast, and suppression of piracies, 1878-81;
  • Removal of section of the Al-bu-Kowareh tribe from Al-Bidda to Foweyrat [Fujairat], 1879;
  • Threatened attack on Bahrain by Nasir-bin-Mobarik [Nasir bin Mubarak] and Shaikh Jāsim of Al-Bidda, 1881;
  • Shaikh Jāsim’s desire to occupy ’Odaid, 1881;
  • Policy as to the relations to be maintained with Shaikh Jāsim and the Turkish Government in Qatar, 1881;
  • Ill-treatment of British subjects by Shaikh Jāsim and exaction of a fine from him, 1880-82;
  • Protest of the Porte against British proceedings at Al-Bidda. British disclaimer of Turkish jurisdiction in Qatar, 1883;
  • Shaikh Jāsim’s projected expedition against a branch of the Beji Hajirs in 1884;
  • Fight between the Ejman [Ajman] and allied tribes on one side and Morah and Monasir tribes on the other, 1884;
  • Disputes between Shaikh Jāsim and the Chief of Abuthabi [Abu Dhabi], Jāsim’s intentions to occupy ’Odaid and the ill-treatment of Bedouins at Al-Bidda, 1885-86;
  • Outrages against Indian subjects under Jāsim’s instigation, and Shaikh Jāsim made to pay a fine, 1887;
  • Protests of the Porte against British Government proceedings, 1888;
  • Question of withdrawal of the Turkish garrison from Al-Bidda;
  • Turkish expansion along the Arab coast and the policy of the British Government, 1888;
  • Hostilities between Shaikh Jāsim and Shaikh Zaid [Zayed bin Khalifa] of Abu Dhabi, reported movements of the Chief of Jabal Shamer Ibn Rashid towards Oman in order to aid Shaikh Jāsim, 1888-89;
  • Jāsim carrying munitions of war by sea, 1889;
  • Turkish project of rebuilding Zubara, 1888;
  • Turkish measures for establishing their jurisdiction on a firmer basis on the Arab coast. Increase of Turkish forces in Qatar, 1888;
  • Intrigues of Jāsim against Abu Dhabi, 1889-90;
  • Turkish projects for rebuilding Zubara and ’Odaid, 1890-91;
  • Hostilities between Shaikh Jāsim and the Turks, 1891-93;
  • British policy towards Jāsim during the hostilities. Chief of Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, 1893;
  • Question of Turkish jurisdiction in Qatar, 1893;
  • Removal by Turkish authorities of the British flag from a boat at Al-Bidda, 1897;
  • Occupation of Zubara by the Al-bin-Ali tribe with the support of the Turks and Shaikh Jāsim. Threatened attack of Bahrain, and the energetic measures taken to expel the settlement, 1895;
  • Arab rising against the Turks in Qatar;
  • Disturbances off the Qatar coast between the Amamera and Al-bin-Ali tribes, 1900;
  • Piracies committed by the Beni Hajir off the Qatar coast, 1900;
  • Reconsideration of our general policy on the Arab side of the Gulf;
  • (1) Proposed British protectorate over the Chief of Qatar; (2) Aggressive action of the Porte in attempted to establish mudirates at ’Odaid, Wakra and Zubara, 1902-04.

The appendices are as follows:

Extent and format
1 volume (46 folios)
Arrangement

The contents of the précis are arranged in rough chronological order, and organised under a number of subheadings, with each paragraph numbered from 1 to 229. Three appendicies follow the main précis. There is a contents page at the front of the volume (f 5) which lists the subheadings with their corresponding paragraph numbers. The appendices are referenced using the volume’s pagination system.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are 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.

Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence, with page numbers located top and centre of each page.

Written in
English in Latin script
View the complete information for this record

Use and share this item

Share this item
Cite this item in your research

‘Persian Gulf gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Précis of Katar [Qatar] affairs, 1873-1904.’ [‎38r] (75/92), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/C243, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023526379.0x00004d> [accessed 19 September 2024]

Link to this item
Embed this item

Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.

<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023526379.0x00004d">‘Persian Gulf gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Précis of Katar [Qatar] affairs, 1873-1904.’ [&lrm;38r] (75/92)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023526379.0x00004d">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000884.0x0001c9/IOR_L_PS_20_C243_0076.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000884.0x0001c9/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image