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'Handbook of Arabia. Vol. I. 1917' [165] (174/748)
The record is made up of 1 volume (371 folios). It was created in 1916. 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.
RECENT HISTORY AND PRESENT POLITICS 165
of his having adopted a contumacious attitude towards his pro
tectors are in circulation. His philo-Turk attitude lost him some
time ago his hold on the Hashidi and Bekil tribesmen, and im
paired his position in other districts. He appears lately to have
sought a closer understanding with the Sherif of Mecca, and an
alliance between these two against Idrisi and the Turks is not out
of the question.
Districts and Towns
The towns of Yemen proper are here described in their two
main groups, highland and lowland, followed by a section on the
outlying districts of Jauf and Nejran, with their respective
settlements.
1. Yemen
The highland towns contrast strongly in general character with
those on the lowlands and plains : the former are almost entirely
stone-built, with solid fortress-like houses, and as a rule occupy
elevated, commanding positions, whilst in the latter less solid and
resistant materials enter into their construction.
The highland towns are the following :
1. San'a, the old capital of the Imams, Ottoman capital, and
residence of the Vali of Yemen, is situated about 100 miles crow-fly
ENE. of Hodeidah, on a broad, open plain, 7,750 ft. above sea-level.
The plain has an almost imperceptible slope towards the north,
and is surrounded by low, barren hills, of which the highest eminence
i is Jebel Nuqum, 1,000 ft. in elevation. The crest of this hill is
surmounted by a Turkish fort and observation post with two big
gaccesd howitzers which command the town ; the fort lies distant some
two hours' journey up a steep winding track.
The town is divided into three distinct quarters : the old Arab
.isinto® ^ own proper, containing the shops and Government buildings;
tmceiil tlie el-'Azab, on the west, a spacious suburb of modern
«te!i: °ffici_al and private residences and walled gardens; and the Qa'at el-
^ or quarter, to the west again. The old town is
Vl# surroun ded by a 40-ft. wall of stone and mud, flanked with ancient
HaJif ^? wers frequent intervals,to which the Turks have in more modern
! iili ~ lmes a( ided certain defences at the gates, notably the sally port
# ^ ie citadel, a zigzag outlet of massive strength through which
micf there is no public admittance. The original town wall has been
i' 1 j, ex tended in modern times to include two newer quarters, the
About this item
- Content
This volume is A Handbook of Arabia, Volume I, General (Admiralty War Staff, Intelligence Department: May, 1916) and contains geographical and political information of a general character concerning the Arabian Peninsula. The volume was prepared on behalf of the Admiralty and War Office, from sources, including native information obtained for the purpose of compiling the volume, since the outbreak of the First World War. Separate chapters are devoted to each of the districts or provinces of the Arabian Peninsula and include information on the physical character, as well as social and political surveys.
The volume includes a note on official use, title page, and a 'Note' on the compilation of the volume. There is a page of 'Contents' that includes the following sections:
- Chapter 1: Physical Survey;
- Chapter 2: Social Survey;
- Chapter 3: The Bedouin Tribes: A. Northern Tribes, B. Tribes of the Central West, C. Tribes of the Central South, D. Tribes of the Central East, Supplement: Non-Bedouin Nomads;
- Chapter 4: Hejaz;
- Chapter 5: Asir;
- Chapter 6: Yemen;
- Chapter 7: Aden and Hadhramaut: A. Aden and the Interior, B. Hadhramaut;
- Chapter 8: Oman: A. The sultanate of Oman, B. Independent Oman;
- Chapter 9: The Gulf Coast: A. The Sultanate of Koweit [Kuwait], B. Hasa, C. Bahrain, D. El-Qatar, E. Trucial Oman A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. ;
- Chapter 10: Nejd;
- Chapter 11: Jebel Shammar;
- Chapter 12: The Northern Nefūd and Dahanah Belts;
- Chapter 13: Settled Tribes of the North-West;
- Chapter 14: Settled Tribes of the West;
- Chapter 15: Settled Tribes of the South;
- Chapter 16: Settled Tribes of the Centre;
- Appendix: Note of Topographical and Common Terms;
- Index;
- Plates.
The front of the volume includes a 'List of Maps' and a 'Note on the Spelling of Proper Names'. Maps contained in this volume are:
- Map 1: Arabia: Districts and Towns;
- Map 2: Orographical Features of Arabia;
- Map 3: Land Surface Features of Arabia;
- Map 4: Tribal Map of Arabia.
The volume also contains fifteen plates of photographs and sketches by Captain William Henry Irvine Shakespear, Douglas Carruthers, Captain Gerard Leachman, Dr Julius Euting, George Wyman Bury, and Samuel Barrett Miles.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (371 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume is arranged in chapters. There is a contents page, list of maps, alphabetical index, and list of plates.
- 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 last of various maps which are inserted at the back of the volume, on number 371.
- Written in
- English and Arabic in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'Handbook of Arabia. Vol. I. 1917' [165] (174/748), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/E84/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100037114035.0x0000af> [accessed 3 January 2025]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/20/E84/1
- Title
- 'Handbook of Arabia. Vol. I. 1917'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:i-v, 1:381, 384:726, ii-r:ii-v, ii-r:ii-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence