File 10/12 Tribal and desert information: Ikhwan raids; Motor Transport Concession, Kuwait/Basra; Ikhwan rebellion, 1927 [50r] (99/646)
The record is made up of 1 file (321 folios). It was created in 7 Jan 1925-31 Dec 1927. It was written in English and Arabic. 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.
m
'
U)
undulating, perfectly waterless desert. At miles the""*
A
first of several sandy dry watercourses is crossed.This one,
however, -vhich runs from west to east, is uite narrow, and
presents no obstacle to a car. At miles the track enters
a hummocky belt, which lasts for a little over a quarter of
_ 0^)
a mile. The road now ascends gently to ,'5 miles, where two •
mounds,known as Kiseu adh-Dhabi, are passed on the right,and
then descends gently, from this point running due north. At
and miles three more dry sandy watercourses, run*
ning, from west to east, are crossed. They are narrow,however,
and not serious obstacles to a car. At miles, after a
somewhat steep descent, a dry watercourse jq yards wide run
ning from west to east is reached; its bed is of soft sand,
and the ground immediately to the north of it is also rather
difficult. It is not worth trying to avoid it, however, as
to do so would entail making a very long detour. After dear
th! s watercourse the road ascends sharply for a quarter of a
mile.
At miles a dry sandy watercourse, 5 o yards wide,
with soft approaches, crosses the track. It is possible,
however, to avoid this ?nd the four subsequent watercourses
mentioned below, all of which run from west to east # by mak
ing one detour of a mile and a quarter to the west, and
keeping to the higher ground parallel to - and in si^ht of -
the road for the next three miles. The ground thus traversed
is extremely atony, but for a car it is the lesser of the
two evil/;. The road itself crosses a ver> soft watercourse
35 yards wide at 29i miles, and then a broad double water
course 3c yard* wide at 2$% mile*. This is the longest of
these five watercourses, and it is for it alone that the
a*tour to wod them has to exceed a mile , Tbtroad then
crosses one i^c yards wide at 3 o£ miles, and a very soft
one 7 y. rda wide at 3U miles. After avoiding this last as
described above, a o*r should Join the road again.
-or tne next six miles the road is stony, except at 33 ^
—
About this item
- Content
This file contains correspondence related to the British Government's relationship with Ibn Sa'ud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd].
The correspondence primarily relates to raids that were made into Iraq and Kuwait by Ikhwan forces and associated acts of livestock plunder and killing. As such, the file contains two reports regarding these raids that were submitted to the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. in Kuwait by the Senior Staff Officer of the Akhwan Defence, a British force that had been established to counter the threat of Ikhwan raids into Iraq and monitor their movements (folios 40-47 and 84-130).
The file also contains correspondence that relates to discussions concerning the construction of a paved road (for the use of motor vehicles) between Southern Iraq and Kuwait. A copy of a concession for its construction that was granted to Sayyid Hamid bin Rajab al-Naqib by the Ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, is contained in Arabic (folios 67-69) and English (folios 72-75). In this context, the file contains descriptions written by the 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, Major James Carmichael More, of a number of different routes between Southern Iraq and Kuwait at the time. These descriptions are as follows:
- Jafrah to Safwan (in English, folios 49-53 and Arabic, folios 59-62);
- Kuwait to Basrah via Basrah and then direct to Safwan (folios 54-57);
- Jahrah to Zubair (folios 137-146).
Towards the end of the file, the correspondence in the file discusses reports of the tensions between the Ikhwan and Ibn Sa'ud and the beginning of the Ikhwan revolt.
As well as correspondence between British officials, correspondence between 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. More and the Ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah (in Arabic with English translations) appears throughout the file.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (321 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.
An index of topics discussed is contained at the rear of the file (on folios 322-323); the folios used in this index relate to an earlier incomplete foliation system that is in uncircled pencil 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.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 323; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 1-323; these numbers are also written in pencil and circled, but are crossed through.
- Written in
- English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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File 10/12 Tribal and desert information: Ikhwan raids; Motor Transport Concession, Kuwait/Basra; Ikhwan rebellion, 1927 [50r] (99/646), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/5/38, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100035873421.0x000064> [accessed 11 June 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/5/38
- Title
- File 10/12 Tribal and desert information: Ikhwan raids; Motor Transport Concession, Kuwait/Basra; Ikhwan rebellion, 1927
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:4v, 5v:11v, 12v:30v, 31v:32v, 35r:36v, 37v:62v, 63v:65v, 66v:131v, 132v:168v, 169v, 171r:196v, 197v:204v, 205v:207v, 208v:214v, 215v, 216v:224v, 225v:240v, 241v:248v, 249v:250v, 251v:284v, 285v:291v, 292v:302v, 303v:310v, 311v:323v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence
![File 10/12 Tribal and desert information: Ikhwan raids; Motor Transport Concession, Kuwait/Basra; Ikhwan rebellion, 1927 [‎50r] (99/646) File 10/12 Tribal and desert information: Ikhwan raids; Motor Transport Concession, Kuwait/Basra; Ikhwan rebellion, 1927 [‎50r] (99/646)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000831.0x0003c1/IOR_R_15_5_38_0099.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg)