Correspondence Relating to Ibn Saud Circulated to Kuwait by Other Gulf Posts

Content

The file contains correspondence relating to Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd, also written as Bin Saud in the file], Amir of Nejd [Emir of Najd], forwarded to the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , Kuwait, by other British officials in the Gulf region. The correspondence primarily covers relations between Ibn Saud and Hussain [Al-Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī, also written as Husain and Hussein in the file, and also referred to as ‘the Sharif’], King of Hejaz [also written as Hijaz and Hedjaz in the file], during a British-imposed ceasefire that followed hostilities over possession of Khurma [al-Khurmah]. Subjects covered in the correspondence include:

• Ibn Saud’s possession of Khurma and Tarabah [Turabah], and the potential threat this poses towards Taif [Ta’if]
• Claims by both Ibn Saud and Hussain that the other is continuing to commit hostile actions
• Arrangements for a potential meeting between Ibn Saud and Hussain for peace talks, initially planned to take place at Aden, but changed to Mecca at Ibn Saud’s suggestion
• A request from Ibn Saud for two Indian Muslim officers to be appointed to oversee pilgrims from Nejd who will accompany Ibn Saud’s journey to Mecca, and the appointment of two officers from the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , Bahrein [Bahrain]: Khan Sayib Syed Siddiq Hasan [Khān Ṣāḥib Sayyid Ṣādiq Ḥasan] and Shaikh Farhan Beg Al Rahmah [Shaikh Farḥān Beg al-Raḥmah]
• Hussain’s refusal to remove his embargo against pilgrims from Nejd being allowed into Hejaz, and Ibn Saud’s subsequent postponement of his own journey to Mecca in favour of a small diplomatic mission on his behalf
• The departure of the mission to Mecca under Ibn Saud’s cousin Ahmad Al-Thenyan [Aḥmad bin ‘Abdullāh bin Ibrāhīm bin Thunayān Āl Saʿūd, also written as Ahmad ibn Thunaiyan and Thaniyan in the file], and accompanied by Khan Sayib Syed Siddiq Hasan and Shaikh Farhan Beg Al Rahmah, in August 1920
• Discussions between Hussain and Al-Thenyan, an agreement signed between them to re-establish friendly relations, and the mission’s return to Nejd
• Arrangements for a meeting at Ojair [Al ‘Uqayr] between Ibn Saud and Sir Percy Cox, British High Commissioner in Baghdad
• The awarding of an honorary GCIE to Ibn Saud
• Reports in 1921 and 1922 that Ibn Saud is preparing to attack Hejaz and besiege Mecca.

Khan Sayib Syed Siddiq Hasan’s reports from Riyadh in July and August 1920, including accounts of meetings with Ibn Saud, are on folios 78-113. His diary of the journey from Riyadh to Mecca is on folios 178-191. Shaikh Farhan Beg Al Rahmah’s report of the mission to Mecca and account of the return journey is on folios 191-196.

The primary correspondents are: the High Commissioner, Cairo; the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad; 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. , Bahrein; Khan Sayib Syed Siddiq Hasan; and Ibn Saud. Other correspondents include: the British Agent, Jeddah; 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. , Koweit [Kuwait]; Hussain’s son Faisal [Fayṣal bin Ḥusayn al-Hāshimī, later King of Iraq]; the Foreign Office; and the 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. .

The file contains a single item in Arabic, a letter from Ibn Saud to Sir Percy Cox dated 24 August 1922, which is on folios 202-203. An English summary of the contents is on folio 201.

Extent and format

1 file (202 folios)

Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 204; 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 file also contains an original printed pagination sequence between ff 178-196.

Written in

English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script

Type

Archival file

Access & Reference

Original held at

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.

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

IOR/R/15/5/398

History of this record

Date(s)

29 May 1919-14 Sep 1922 (CE, Gregorian)

Subjects

Military operationsDiplomacyBilateral relationsTerritorial disputesMuslim pilgrims and pilgrimages

Places

AdenKingdom of HejazNejd

People & organisations

Emir of Najd and HasaHigh Commissioner, EgyptCivil Commissioner, MesopotamiaHigh Commissioner, IraqKing of HejazForeign OfficeBritish Agent and Consul General, JeddahPolitical Agent, KuwaitDistrict Magistrate, BahrainKing of Iraq Fayṣal I

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Correspondence Relating to Ibn Saud Circulated to Kuwait by Other Gulf Posts, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/5/398, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/annos/search/81055/vdc_100080292469.0x000001> [accessed 3 January 2025]

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