'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎62r] (128/470)

Samawi Abu Shobah : Huwaish quarter. —Head of the Abu Shobah family, a powerful family in
Huwaish. A Zuqurt. Five of the family deported. Harmless and a liar.
Salman Abu Ghanim : ‘Amarah quarter. —A great friend of ‘Atiyah, but forsook him on the
occupation of Baghdad. Now a trader and harmless. One of his relations, Muhsin abu Ghanim, was
hanged, and another deported.
‘Asmi ibn Haji ''Atiyah : i Amarah quarter. —The only surviving son of Haji ‘Atiyah. A young
lad of about 16, declared an outlaw. His mother, ‘Aftah, is prominent in intrigue. He should be
arrested when found.
Haji Ghanim Kirmashah : Huwaish quarter. —Head of the Kirmashah family, and a Zuqurt. All
of his relations deported, except two. Old but not harmless.
1 Abdullah Najam Shumurti: Mishraq quarter. —The most prominent member of the Shumurts
left. A thorough bad hat.
Hasan al Salih : Mishraq quarter. —Ditto.
Saiyid ‘AZi Jarau : Buraq quarter. —“ Henry VIII.” Implicated in all the disturbances with his
relations,. Of no importance now, but entirely untrustworthy.
Saiyid Sa'id al Saiyid Husain: Buraq quarter. —Zuqurt of the family of Saiyid Salman. A
bad hat.
Haji ’’Abdullah al Haji Humadi: Buraq quarter. —Shumurt. He did excellent work in the
Blockade, when he surrendered almost all the prominent persons. His cousin, Muhsin ibn Najam, also
did well.
Bait Najam: Buraq quarter. —Merchants. The head is Mulla ‘Aziz. Of no particular
importance.
Shamiyah Personalities.
Nur al Saiyid ’Aziz.—-The most prosperous and respected of the Sadat in the district. Shi‘ah.
Owns large area of land above the Ibrahim on the right bank of the Mishkhab.
Fine cultivator and gives an appearance of great worth and solid judgment. In reality of little
intellectual capacity, an empty barrel, whose pomposity is used by clearer headed and cleverer people
for their own ends.
The family name is Yasir; they are Zaidiyah, descended from Yahya ibn Zaid ibn ‘Ali. The
family came from Madinah, six generations ago, settled first near Diwaniyah, then moved to Samawah.
Saiyid Nur moved to. the Mishkhab and so did his relation Saiyid "Abbas.
Husain Muqotar, Saiyid. —Owns considerable land in the south of Shu‘bat Ghammas and is agent
for all Muqotar lands. Shi‘ah. Age about 34. An excellent cultivator, and very shrewd business
man. Somewhat given to intrigue. His uncle Saiyid Hadi Q.V. is known to be pro-Turk, but his own
complicity in Turkish intrigue is less certain. He would be difficult to replace for agricultural work.
Both he and Saiyid Hadi were suspected of intriguing with ‘Ajaimi al Sa‘dun and interned in India
in July 1918.
Hadi Muqotar, Saiyid—Oi Shinafiyah, land-owning Saiyid. Six generations back the father of
Muqotar, Shochah, founded Lamlum on the Shatt al Hillah. That branch of the river having
considerably diminished, Muqotar moved to the neighbourhood of the present Shinafiyah, where they
now own very large properties. Saiyid Hadi lives at Shinafiyah. The Muqotar enjoyed the
favour of the Ottoman Government, and were actively helpful to the Turks until we established
effective control over the Middle Euphrates in November 1917.
They then made submission in October 1917, promising to serve us as loyally as they had served
their late rulers; but Saiyid Hadi was found to be in communication with ‘Ajaimi al Sa‘dun in December,
and, though his letter of that date was overlooked, his great influence in Shinafiyah was reported to
be directed covertly against us. He and his nephew, Saiyid Husain Q.V., were deported to India as
civilian prisoners of war, 1st class, in July 1918. He was implicated in all the Najaf disturbances.
Muhsin Abu Tabikh, Saiyid.—The largest landowner in Shu‘bat Ghammas. Shi‘ah. Age about 36.
Has considerable influence, which he is ready to use at any time on behalf of Government, if it suits his
pocket Thoroughly crafty and untrustworthy and should always be most carefully watched. His
ruling passion is money. Pro-Turkish at heart, and was suspected of complicity in the plot to murder
the P 0 s in the Shamiyah in February 1918, though there was no proof against him. A shrewd
business man. The family moved up from the Hasa about 200 years ago; they own land at
Rumaithah and Chamchah as well as in the Ghammas.
Hadi Zuwain, Saiyid.—A man of about 40, head of a family of Mecca origin belonging to the
well-known A‘raji house of Saiyids. His great grandfather founded Ja arah, where Saiyid Hadi now
lives and by permission of Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. , Shaikh of the Zubaid, at that time paramount in the Euphrates, brought
the surrounding land under cultivation. The influence of the Zuwain extended at the time almost to
Shinafiyah, but was curtailed when the Turks brought in the Fatlah and Ibrahim.
Represented. Government interests in Sh&miy&h. before the Political Occupation of the District,
but much given to intrigue, and has many enemies. Was involved in an apparently endless series oi
disputes with his co-heirs and Falalih, which were satisfactorily settled in September 1918. Saiyid
Hadi’s mother is of the Khaza‘il ruling house. The settlement of the case has largely undermined
his position, which was at best an artificial one. Of little importance, and thoroughly disliked by the
Ja‘arah populace. Not to be trusted. His outlook on life is limited to Saiyid Hadi.
‘ Abbas Zuwain Saiyid.—A distant cousin of Saiyid Hadi, with whom he is on bad terms. A more
plastic type than Saivid Hadi, but none the less undesirable. He is almost as much disliked as the
former but being less avaricious, o 2 more wealthy, is less oppressive to the people. At present
honorary Rais Baladiyah of Ja‘arah in which position, for obvious reasons, he is eminently unsatisfactory.
He will be replaced as soon as staff becomes available. He probably accepted this post to prevent
Saiyid Hadi from intriguing against himself.