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‘Koweit [Kuwait]. A report compiled in the Intelligence Branch, Quarter Master General’s Department’ [19] (35/66)
The record is made up of 1 volume (33 folios), with 3 maps. It was created in 1903. 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.
19
the town had been increased by an influx of out-lying tribes
taking refuge in Koweit, at the approach of Ibn Rashid ; in this
case, perhaps, the exaggeration may not be quite as great as it
would appear at first sight. The apparent over-estimate of
"fighting men" has been pointed out elsewhere ; if this item
be reduced to the numbers mentioned in another estimate, also
furnished by the Sheikh, viz. } to between 6,000 and 7,000 men,
with a roughly proportionate deduction from the numbers of
women and children, the total number of inhabitants would
seem to work out to between 30,000 and 40,000, the former of
which is the number usually considered to be approximately
correct.
The population is Mahommedan, Arab fashion, that is
tolerant to others and not over rigid to themselves. Wahabi-ism
is proscribed, and all the efforts of Nejd have never succeeded in
making one single proselyte at Koweic.
Nothing grows near Koweit, save grass and camel-grazing;
the agricultural resources may therefore be considered 11 nil".
The wealth of the place proceeds from its trade, shipping, ship
building, fishing, pearl fishery, and to a small extent, cattle
breeding.
Some 600 boats, with crews averaging from 15 to 40 men
each, are engaged in pearl fishing. Each of these boats realises
a profit of from Rs. 300 to Rs. 600 in a season. The size of these
boats varies from 30 to 300 tons burden, while some of as much
as i ; ooo tons are engaged in trade with India and Mesopotamia.
A line of sand hills and somewhat broken ground, about a Defcncea.
mile outside the town, affords a fairly satisfactory line of defence
and might be made strong enough to resist any probable attack
by suitable preparation. The line proposed extends in an arc,
enclosing the town on the land side, with both flanks resting on
the sea,^and capable of being supported by naval fire, though
at a somewhat long range, i.e., up to 4,000 and 5) 000 yards.
Certain conspicuous points, shown on the chart,^ facilitate the
direction and ranging of ship s fire fiom the stations indicated
by the names of the ships told off to these positions in 1901-
02, viz. : RM.^. Sphinx, H.M.S. Tomone and h .M.S.
Redbreast, in addition to this strictly naval support^ native
dhows if armed with machine guns, would be useful in shoal
water on either flank, and would be able to bring fire to bear at
a much shorter range than those mentioned with reference to
h. M.'s ships.
Starting from the right, or western, flank of this defensive
line, it runs (^) along certain existing excavations and old wells,
for a distance of about 1,5°® yards, (5) thence^ in a north
easterly direction along the outer edge of a strip of broken
ground, broken apparently by what seem to be disused lime
About this item
- Content
Intelligence report on Kuwait, compiled for the Intelligence Branch of the Quarter Master General’s Department by Captain Henry Harris Hewitt Dowding of the Essex Regiment, and printed at the Government Central Printing Office in Simla, 1903.
The contents of the volume are as follows:
- Introductory remarks;
- Harbour, anchorages;
- History of Kuwait (of the Wahabis, the Ibn Rashid family, the war between Nejd and Kuwait);
- Political (relations between Kuwait and Great Britain, the situation in 1901-02, foreign relations with Russia, Germany, Turkey, events during 1902);
- Military forces, including their strength, arms and equipment, organisation, standard of efficiency and tactics;
- Towns: Kuwait, its population and defences; Jehara [Al-Jahrah], its importance, population and defences;
- Administration, government, free trade, currency;
- Resources, commercial, not agricultural;
- Climate;
- Communications
Four appendices follow the main text: A. routes; B. the Wahabi family; C. the Ibn Rashid family; D. the Shaikhs of Kuwait. The volume also contains three illustrations: the foreshore at Kuwait (folio 3); Mobarek-bin-Subah [Mubarak bin Ṣabāḥ Āl Ṣabāḥ] and his youngest son Naser (folio 9); the Shaikh’s residence in Kuwait (folio 17). The volume also contains three maps: a map of Kuwait and the surrounding country (folio 30); a map of Kuwait harbour (folio 31); and a rough diagram of Jehara (folio 32).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (33 folios), with 3 maps
- Arrangement
The volume is arranged into a number of sections, with major headings in the text and subheadings indicated alongside the text in the outer margins. A contents page (folio 6) lists these major headings and subheadings, along with the volume’s illustrations and maps, and refers to the volume’s original pagination system. Four appendices follow the main text. An alphabetical index (folios 26-28) also refers to the volume’s original pagination system.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio; 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 booklet contains an original typed pagination sequence.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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‘Koweit [Kuwait]. A report compiled in the Intelligence Branch, Quarter Master General’s Department’ [19] (35/66), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/153, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023870553.0x000021> [accessed 4 August 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/20/153
- Title
- ‘Koweit [Kuwait]. A report compiled in the Intelligence Branch, Quarter Master General’s Department’
- Pages
- front, front-i, i-r:ii-v, 1:6, 1:4, 4a:4b, 5:18, 18a:18b, 19:23, 32, 25:31, 24, 33:34, 1:14, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence