‘Persian Gulf Gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Precis of Turkish expansion on the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf and Hasa [Al-Hasa] and Katif [Al-Qaṭīf] affairs.’ [129] (141/160)
The record is made up of 1 volume (80 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.
129
483. From a further report of Mr. Gasldn's No. 9, elated the 27th January
Secret E., April 1901. Kos. 6-10. ' ^ f appears, that Sheikh Selman and
ms party went to the mainland for no
other purpose than that of huntino' customary for them to do in that season of
the year. The members of the ruling family of Bahrein every year at the end
of the autumn make up hawking 1 parties and visit Katar, Thahran (the country
between Katif and Ojair) and Lingah, and in accordance with this practice
Sheikh Selman, in November 1900, elected to go to Thahran, and others at
about the same time went to Katar and Lingah. The Khalifa family, had in
fact no blood-feud with any tribe residing in Turkish territory.
481. The question was then raised by the Foreign Office whether the place
^ P . . 110m , ln where the murder occurred was within
secret E., Apnl 1901, Nos. 5-10. m i • i -r • i- j * ijj
Turkish Jurisdiction. Attention was in
vited 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.
letter, dated the 2nd November 1888, in which it was
proposed that Her Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople should be informed
that Her Majesty's Government did not consider that the Porte was in effective
occupation of the Arabian Coast beyond Katif. In 1893 Sir C. Ford informed
the Porte that Her Majesty's Government while admitting the sovereignty
of the Sultan from Basrah to Katif considered that the coast running
to the south of that place was looked upon as dehateahle land. The Viceroy on
being consulted, replied by telegram on 7th March 1901 :—
"I cannot find that Turkish Territorial Jurisdicfcion south of Katif town has been
explicitly recognized. Biot notwithstanding Ford's Despatch of 1893, it is difficult to dispute
that Katif district extends to Ojair."
It was also mentioned in the telegram on the authority of Mr. Wratislaw
that the Vali of Basrah had ordered the arrest and punishment of the murder
ers of Sheikh Selman, &c., and that in these circumstances action by Her
Majesty's Government seemed unnecessary. The Foreign Office had, however,
in the meantime addressed the Ambassador on the subject and asked for his
views.
485. Sir N. O'Conor pointed out the inadvisibility of acknowledging
Turkish jurisdiction in a place where it
Secret E., June 1901, Nos. 9-17. • is? i* l • j tt it
was so meirectively exercised. He there
fore proposed awaiting further instructions and was told to defer making
any representations on the subject to the Porte until the result of Mr.
Wratislaw's representation to the Vali of: Basrah was known.
486. In July 1901 we were informed, through the Resident, that the Vali's
„ _ v attitude was unsatisfactory. He replied
SecretE., August 1901, Nos. 220-22(;, (No. 220). , ^ , .,f , /
to the Consul s remarks with nonchalance,
and when he was reminded that the Sheikh of Bahrein might take the matter
into his own hands, if the Turkish authorities did not do their duty, his answer
was " that, after all, the occurrence was merely an act of reprisal for a
previous crime committed by natives of Bahrein. It was then explained to
tim that " the previous murder referred to had been paid for in the customary
manner by the Sheikh of Bahrein and could not be quoted as justification for
the assassination of Sheikh Selman."
487. The Sheikh of Bahrein too, at about this time, requested to be
allowed to prosecute his revenge on a
party of the offending tribe who were
encamped within striking distance on the mainland, but he was warned against
making any such attempt by the Assistant
Political Agent
A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency.
.
488. In September 1901, the Foreign Office authorised the Ambassador at
Secret e ., March 1902, Nos. 78-107, (No. 93 Constantinople "press for the arrest and
Enclosure). punishment of the fugitives while they are
in the interior of Arabia," as, while they were there within Turkish territory,
the request would not prejudice the question of Turkish sovereignty on the
south coast of Katif.
489. In October 1901, at the request of the Resident, sanction was given
by the Government of India for a gunboat
11 ld ' Xo L to be sent to Katif in order to stimulate
the Turkish authorities to greater activity in exacting reparation for the murder
[C967FD] z8
About this item
- Content
Part 1 of a Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. gazetteer of historical and political materials, a précis of Turkish expansion on the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and Hasa [Al-Hasa] and Katif [Al-Qaṭīf] affairs. The précis was prepared by Jerome Antony Saldanha, whose preface (under which his surname is erroneously spelt Saldana) is dated 25 November 1904, and published by the Government of India Foreign Deptartment, Simla, India.
The preface is an historical outline of the struggle for political dominance in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , including Portuguese, British, Wahabi [ Wahhābī A follower of the Islamic reform movement known as Wahhabism; also used to refer to the people and territories ruled by the Al-Saud family. ] and Turkish expansion. The chapters (titles shown in italics) deal with the subject in an roughly chronological fashion:
1. Early history of Hasa and Katif , including: references to the area in Arabic writing; the first known Arab colonists; and early references to the area in British (East India Company) records;
2. Conquest of Hasa by the Wahabis and Turkish expeditions into Nejd [Najd] and Hasa, and their results 1800-1865 , including: conquest of the area by the Wahabis; Turkish expeditions to the area, 1811-19 and 1836-40; Amir Feysal’s [Fayṣal ibn Turki Āl Sa‘ūd] nominal dependence on Turkey, 1855; troubles in Katif, 1859-62; Turkish protest against British proceedings at Damaum [Dammām], 1862; the British war against Amir Feysal, 1865-66; obsolete title of award of Arabia by an Abbasid caliph to the Ottoman Porte; Ottoman ambitions in Arabia (Holy Ottoman Empire);
3. Turkish expedition to Nejd and Hasa, 1871-72 , including: origins of the expedition; intelligence from 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. , Colonel Lewis Pelly; British policy in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and effects of the Turkish expedition on that policy; Turkish assurances to Britain, communicated to Bahrain (spelt Bahrein throughout) by Pelly; Turkish promise of non-interference with the rulers of the Trucial coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. ; narrative of the events leading up to and including the landing of the expeditionary force in Nejd; Turkish designs on Katar [Qatar], and their hoisting of the Turkish flag at Budaa [Al-Bidda]; Turkish naval activity in the Gulf, and Britain’s naval response; murder of a suspected Turkish messenger at Bahrain; reasons for the non-interference of the British Government in operations on land; further narrative of the expedition and affairs in Nejd; evidence of Turkish designs on Bahrain; Turkish assurances; relations between Turkey and Abuthabi [Abu Dhabi]; close of the Turkish expedition;
4. Internal affairs of Hasa and Katif, 1872-1904 , including: administration and internal organisation; and a list of governors at Hasa, including events of significance occurring during their rule;
5. Survey of the Katif coast, 1873-74 , including: British intentions and permission gained from the Ottoman Porte; complaints of British survey officers landing on the Nejd coast; written permission to land to undertake surveying.
6. Increase of Turkish military and naval forces in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and Turkish policy , including: a memorandum by Captain T Doughty on the state of affairs in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ;
7. (1) Trade Relations of Hindu and other traders of Bahrain with Katif, and their disabilities , and (2) Proposal appointment of a consular officer at Katif ;
8. Piracies , including: piracies in Katif and Bahrain waters, 1878; ; revolt in Hasa and piracies in Katif and Bahrain waters, 1878-81; Turkish responsibilities and jurisdiction for the purpose of suppressing piracies in Katif waters, 1878-81; piracies in Katif and Bahrain waters in 1883; piracies in Katif and Bahrain waters in 1886; piracies in 1887-88; piracies in 1891-92; piracies in 1899-1900; piracies in 1902 and the proposal of the Chief of Bahrain to maintain an armed dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. for the pursuit of pirates, 1902-03;
9. Murder of Sheikh Selman-bin-Diaij-el-Khalifa [Shaikh Salman bin Diaj Āl Khalīfah] , a cousin of the Chief of Bahrain and his party about 40 miles south of Katif. Question of satisfaction and compensation for it ;
10. Turkish designs on Oman and the rest of the East Arabian Littoral, 1888-1899 ;
11. Summary of British declarations against Turkish encroachments in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and of the Porte’s assurances, 1871-1904 .
The cover of volume, on which the title is printed, also has a number of different pencil and pen annotations, marking former external references or numbering systems (‘P.2557/29’, ‘No.5’, ‘C238’).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (80 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume is arranged into eleven chapters, preceded by a preface. Each chapter is organised by subheadings, and its paragraphs numbered. The paragraph numbers are continuous throughout the whole volume, beginning on 1 at the start of the first chapter, and ending on 553/553A at the end of the eleventh chapter. A contents page at the front of the volume (ff.4-5) lists the chapters by their headings and subheadings, with each referring to paragraph, rather than page, numbers.
- 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 hand 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
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/20/C238
- Title
- ‘Persian Gulf Gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Precis of Turkish expansion on the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf and Hasa [Al-Hasa] and Katif [Al-Qaṭīf] affairs.’
- Pages
- front, front-i, i-r:ii-v, 1:4, 1:2, 1:35, 37:40, 42:80, 82:108, 110:144, iii-r:iii-v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence