'File 53/32 III (D 53) Kowait - Miscellaneous' [131r] (266/486)
The record is made up of 1 volume (240 folios). It was created in 3 Sep 1912-4 Jun 1928. 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.
SheiKh Aimed goes to London.
by Dr.C.Stanley O.Mylrea. Kuweit.Persian Oulf
Some time ago an article appeared in " Negleo"ced Arabia *
entitled * The HaJJ H . The central figure in that article
was the heir to the Kuweit throne, Sheiith Ahmed bin Jabr,who
in the summer of 1918 showed his devotion as one of the
leading oien of this side of Arabia t by visiting the Holy City
of Mecoa. In Mecca,however.he not only oame into contact with
the past, but also with the very recent present, in the person
of Hussein, King of Hejaz, the most powerful man in Ar abia
to-day, and whose son, the Emir Peisul, was a signatory to
the Treaty of Versailles, besides being a fairly familiar
figure in London. Hussein's knowledge of the world mist have
made no little impression on our simple-ainded sta^-at-home
Arab. In any case it was Ahmed's preparation for a second
journey, which was to oe^-olitical and not a religious pil-
grimage, for in the early summer of 1919 he received an
invitation to visit King George V and to enjoy for a few wee^s
%
the hospitality of tne British Isles. October 1919 found
Ahmed residing in London.
It is a bad time of the year for an Oriental to see London
for the first time. The days are short,it rains three days
out of four, and those thick,pea^-soup fogs for which London
is famous in the winter, are apt to descend with unwelcome
frequency. The sun is scarcely ever seen and it is probable
that Sheilth Ahmed and his suite were never able to see the
horizon at sunset, in order to set their watches. As e exyo:!^
icnows the Arab's day begins at sunset,when it is twelve
o'clocic. Ahmed thought the English houses were lovely inside,
but outside * they are so blacK and glooaiy Anyone
picturing a large London house on a wet,ioggy day, will agree
with him. He was muoh impressed with the fact that no matter
how mich it rained, the streets were never really dirty.
^ Their roads are iron * he declares. He never went out
except in a oar, princijsally because he did noi> enjoy Demg
stared at - he probably appreciates now what the wnit ® o ^
About this item
- Content
This file contains correspondence related to a number of different matters all of which concern Kuwait. Of particular interest are the following:
- Correspondence between Sir Percy Zachariah Cox, the British 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. and Paul Wilberforce Harrison of the American Mission, November 1912 (ff. 16-17).
- A sketch map of the area south west of Riadh [Riyadh], October 1913 (f. 22).
- Correspondence regarding William Henry Shakespear's desire to travel in Arabia and details of his subsequent trip, November 1913-March 1914 (ff. 23-26, f. 30, ff. 43-46).
- Discussions between British officials regarding whether or not the ruler of Kuwait should be addressed as 'His Excellency', May-August 1914 (f. 50 and ff. 54-70).
- A letter from William George Grey, British 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. in Kuwait that discusses reasons for remaining Arab support for the Ottoman Empire in the war, June 1915 (ff. 86-90).
- Information concerning Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ's visit to London, December 1919 (ff. 125-136).
- A report concerning an attack on two Kuwaiti subjects and four Najdis in which three of the party were killed by two assailants, March 1925 (f. 169). A list of items stolen from the party is also included (f. 170).
- A detailed briefing note compiled by James Carmichael Moore, the British 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. in Kuwait, December 1927. The note contains profiles of several prominent figures in Kuwait (and the surrounding region) and information on the state's schools, economy and trade (ff. 217-226). The note also contains a map of Kuwait and its neighbouring areas (f. 221) and details of the different types of shipping vessels used in the country with hand-drawn sketches of the different vessels (ff. 223-226).
- A letter from Lionel Berkeley Holt Haworth, the British 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. discussing Britain’s desire to keep Kuwait separate from Iraq and outlining the rationale behind such a policy, April 1928 (ff. 231-232).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (240 folios)
- Arrangement
File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.
An index of topics discussed in the file is contained on folios 4-6.
- Physical characteristics
Condition: Formerly a bound correspondence volume, the file's sheets have been unbound and are now loose.
Foliation: The file has an incomplete foliation sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The complete sequence, which should be used for cataloguing, is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. It begins on the first folio after the front cover, on number 2, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 237.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'File 53/32 III (D 53) Kowait - Miscellaneous' [131r] (266/486), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/504, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023613996.0x000043> [accessed 10 December 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/1/504
- Title
- 'File 53/32 III (D 53) Kowait - Miscellaneous'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 1r:12v, 13v:15v, 16v:19r, 20r:21v, 23r:47r, 48r:189v, 189ar:189av, 190r:214v, 214ar:214av, 215r:220v, 222r:237v, i-r:i-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence