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‘Persian Gulf pilot comprising the Persian Gulf and its approaches from Ras al Hadd, in the south-west, to Cape Monze, in the east.’ [‎114v] (233/404)

The record is made up of 199 folios. It was created in 1932. 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. .

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168
CHAPTER VI
PERSIAN GULF The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , SOUTH-WESTERN SIDE—COAST OF TRUCIAL 'OMAN,
AND EASTERN SIDE OF QATAR—RAS ASH SHA'AM TO RAS RAKAN.
Chart 2837a.
COAST.—General remarks. —The eastern portion of the
coast of Trucial 'Oman trends in a general south-westerly direction
from Ras ash Sha'am, see page 99, for about 133 miles to Abu
5 Dhabi {Lat. 24° 29' N., Long 54° 22' E.), and is throughout low
and sandy; but the mountains of the Ruus al Jabal promontory
are visible in clear weather until past Dabai, situated about 64
miles south-westward of Ras ash Sha'am. This coast is remarkable
for the high degree of refraction or mirage that is frequently
10 experienced, especially in the early morning, when its features
become greatly distorted, villages sometimes appearing as clumps
of rounded trees, and small uncharted hillocks or dunes as hills
of considerable height.
The towns are all very similar in appearance and are situated
15 near the entrances of khors or salt-water creeks, of which there are
many along the coast, often connected to one another or forming
large backwaters in which native craft lie. Everything connected
with these places seems to indicate a state of decay.
The similarity of appearance makes it difficult to distinguish one
20 town from another; for this reason, a somewhat detailed description
of any peculiarity in the appearance of each is given.
Cattle and vegetables can usually be obtained at most places;
the beef is often very good and much better than the mutton;
Capital mullet are caught in all the khors, and fish, generally, is
25 plentiful. Water is scarce in quantity and indifferent in quality,
especially southward of Dabai; in most cases it is obtained from
shallow wells dug in the sand.
The Great Pearl bank, which includes the whole of the area on
the Arabian side of the Persian gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. southward and south-westward
39 of the 20-fathom (36 m 6) line, begins about 60 miles south-westward
of Ras ash Sha'am, see page 178.
Anchorage. —The whole of the eastern portion of the coast of
Trucial 'Oman is open from south-west, through north-west, to
north-east, and the bottom is in many places hard, the holding
35 ground, in consequence, being bad. On the approach of a winter
shamdl vessels should weigh, and sailing vessels should stand off
on the port tack as that wind blows from about west -north-westward
Chart 748b.

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Content

Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. pilot comprising the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and its approaches, from Ras al Hadd, in the south-west, to Cape Monze, in the east. Published for the Hydrographic Department of the Admiralty by His Majesty’s Stationery Office, London, 1932. Eighth edition.

The pilot begins with a number of introductory sections:

  • Notice of caution when approaching British ports, including the closure of ports and examination of vessels entering ports (folio 1v, inside front cover);
  • Notations of supplements and annual summaries of notices to mariners relating to this book (folio 2);
  • Cautionary notes on the measurements, including those for (bearings, longitude, latitude, depth) given in the pilot, and the different methods of shading used to indicate colours of flags, tidal light signals and beacons in the pilot (folio 5);
  • Advertisement to the eighth edition (folio 6) providing an outline history of the pilot, and updates to the latest edition;
  • Contents page (folios 7v-8), referring to the pilot’s pagination;
  • A list of views (illustrations), with reference to the pilot’s pagination (folio 8v);
  • A glossary of terms (folio 9), organised alphabetically, and with an indication of their origin (Arabic, Baluchi, Hindustani, Persian);
  • Notes on the system of orthography (folios 10-11);
  • Information relating to Admiralty charts and other hydrographic publications and general navigation (folios 12-19), with sections on the correction of Admiralty charts, and their degree of reliance, navigational publications, including the Admiralty lists of lights and wireless signals, tide tables, and general remarks relating to practical navigation;
  • A map of the head of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , dated July 1932, indicating those areas covered by Admiralty charts (folio 20v);
  • A map of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Gulf of Oman, dated July 1932, with an indication of those areas covered by Admiralty charts mentioned in the pilot (folio 21v);
  • An insert (folio 22) detailing those elements not included in the present volume.

The main body of the pilot is arranged in chapters and appendices as follows:

Throughout the main chapters there are illustrations of the parts of the coastline being discussed by the accompanying text. These illustrations, which are a mix of line drawing and reproductions of watercolours, indicate the profile of the land, and highlight distinctive topographical features such as trees and forts.

Extent and format
199 folios
Arrangement

The pilot is arranged into eight chapters (I-VIII) and five appendices (I-V). The arrangement of chapters is geographical, moving from the easternmost point of the Gulf in chapter II to the westermost point in chapter VIII. The contents page (ff 7-8) and alphabetically ascending index (ff 182-93) refer to the pilot’s pagination system.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 199.

Pagination: There are two printed pagination systems, which generally situate numbers in the top-left corner of versos and the top-right corner of rectos. The first, which uses Roman numerals, runs through the pilot’s introductory pages (ff 6-19). The second pagination system uses Arabic numerals, and runs through the remainder of the pilot (ff 23-197).

The number of each chapter is indicated throughout the chapter (expressed as ‘Chap.’ and the chapter number as a Roman numeral) in the top-left corner of rectos and the top-right corner of versos. The lines of text on each page in each chapter are numbered in intervals of five (i.e. 5, 10, etc.)

Written in
English in Latin script
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‘Persian Gulf pilot comprising the Persian Gulf and its approaches from Ras al Hadd, in the south-west, to Cape Monze, in the east.’ [‎114v] (233/404), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/C251, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023623199.0x000022> [accessed 19 February 2025]

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