'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎167r] (338/470)

As regards the Qal at Salih district reference may be made to the Monthly
Report up to September 1918 by the Assistant Political Officer as an interesting
and valuable record of the first successful attempt to bring in the marsh Arabs.
Azairij. At the beginning of the year Ziyarah was installed in ‘Audah and
Shattaniyah. Though this move was bitterly resented by Shawwai and Salman,
they accepted it with a fair grace. It is unfortunate that Ziyarah has lately
resumed the character of a rake and consorted with dancing girls, who are hardly
distinguishable from prostitutes, if at all. In December 1918 he was bold enough
to take a “ theatre ” to his Muqata‘ah at the tails of the Butairah, to the amusement
and disgust of all Shaikhs. 'Hie other Azairij Shaikhs, Shawwai and Salman, are
good farmers, and, considering the tribe they have to control, deserve great credit
for its comparative orderliness. Shawwai is the big man of the tribe.
Albu dfWhzmmac?.—Muhammad al ‘Araibi has behaved consistently well as
regards surrender of grain and payment of revenue. But he is himself a man of
weak character and commands little respect. His agent, Mulla Muhsin, has the
reputation of grinding the faces of the poor, but he is a strong man, and if forced
to take the side of Government can induce Muhammad and his tribe to satisfy
all Government demands. When it seemed that trouble might arise owing to the
damming of the Chahalah, I officially recognised his position as Muhammad’s
Mulla, knowing that he was capable of ruling the tribe with a strong hand and
preventing any unseemly occurrence. Even if I had not done this, he was at any
rate the true ruler of the tribe. He has been warned that any suspicion of mal
practice on his part will lead to his expulsion altogether from the Muqata‘ah.
Majid is a good farmer and keeps, his tribe in order. Laziness is probably
his worst fault. On the whole he controlled his tribe well during the period when
they feared great destruction to their crops owing to the damming of the Majar
Canal. {Vide Report by the Political Officer for August and September for a
comment on the damming of Majar.)
Falih al Saihud, of the Qabat Salih district, remains the graceful and dignified
figure he always was; and he remains, but with the added grace, a combination
of strength and cunning worthy of his illustrious father.
i Usman .—‘Usman could never be other than he is, a timid, colourless but
crafty individual, requiring a strong hand to keep him ordinarily straight and compel
him to keep his section of the Albu Muhammad in order.
Tahir. —Tahir, the farmer of the Jurait Muqata‘ah, is not powerful enough
to do harm, but he is also not good or wise enough to do good.
Bani Lam .—In the ‘Ali Gharbi district, Juwi, Kamandar, and Abu Rishah
have remained staunch friends. They tend to trade on their past services, but
with a strong hand could be made to satisfy most requirements. They are extra
ordinarily selfish and have not allowed others to share in their good fortune.
Hence the problem of the so-called landless Shaikhs, though most of these have
little claim to be considered potential farmers of Muqata‘ahs or Shaikhs. It is
too much to expect that an Arab who is established by Government in sole possession
of a large tract of land will voluntarily forgo one acre of it, except the sub-farmer
accept a position of subordination under himself.
In the ‘Amarah district Shabib has succeeded in keeping his tribe in order,
and his history for this year is colourless. He is respected by the Bani Lam as
the wisest of their Shaikhs, and his opinion is of great value in tribal disputes, if
his own interests are not involved. Falih is a poor type, and it is fortunate that
he has so little land to play with.
Ghadhban. —Ghadhban’s pay has been increased from Rs. 1,000/-to Rs. 2,000/-,
and he has been assigned the Duwairij muqata‘ah, with the following limits :—
East —Thailah to Qabr-al-Saiyir to Ras-al-Kachah and Rushaidah to
• Qabur-al- ‘Abtal to Fakkah ;
W es t —Sadar-al-Karkhah to Abu Fujairah and Abu Miarish and
Huwaitat and Al ‘Antariyah to Qabr Muktah;
South —Hor Sinf of Musharrah, which is the end of ‘Awayah and
Musa‘dah of Khor ‘Ubaid,
on condition that he guarantees the safety of the rOads in his territory and ceases
to take toll of travellers. Most of his time he has spent in Muhammarah. He
has become in part a satellite of Shaikh Khaz‘al. He is in any case a much