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File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [128r] (260/898)
The record is made up of 1 volume (445 folios). It was created in 13 Mar 1924-18 Mar 1931. It was written in English. 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
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EASTERN (Arabia).
December 28, 1928.
1403
CONFIDENTIAL.
Section 2.
[E 6113/484/91]
No. 1.
Mr. Jakins to
Sir Austen Chamberlain.—(Received December 28.)
(No. 198.)
Sir,
Jeddah, December 4, 1928
I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith my report on the situation in the
He j az for the period the lst-30th November, 1928. '
2. Copies of this report have been sent to Egypt, Bagdad, Jerusalem (2)
Jerusalem for transmission to the Royal Air Force Officer Commanding in Palestine
and
Transjordan
Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan
, Beirut, Damascus, Aden, Delh i, Singapore, Khartum through Port
Sudan, Lagos (2), the Senior Naval Officer, Red Sea Sloops.
I have, &c.
H. G. JAKINS
Enclosure in No. 1.
Jeddah Report for Period November 1-30, 1928.
THE month of November opened with an early morning tempest of tropical
fury. With lightning flickering for hours with the rapidity of a cinema projection,
whole sides of rooms were whisked off by the wind, windows burst open, and sleepers
swept drenching from their beds, and some fourteen houses in the town pushed over.
2. The political situation has in contrast appeared to be completely tranquil.
Not a word has filtered through from Riyadh . Supporters of the King hazard that
he has persuaded the tribes to refrairTfrom aggression and to adopt a defensive
attitude in which they can rely on his whole-hearted support. Opponents liken the
meeting at Riyadh to the famous meeting at Mecca in July 1926, when Ibn Sand
was proclaimed King of the Hejaz, a step which “His Majesty would have
preferred in all sincerity to be deferred; but the people of the Hejaz, in the exercise
of their inherent right to elect a ruler, insisted with him upon his acceptance, and
he was not able to excuse himself from giving them satisfaction. ’ * They ask whether
Ibn Saud, whose policy has always been to profit by “ unauthorised ” raids, and who
provided Feisal-ed-Doweish with his wants in food and ammunition, called the
meeting at Riyadh so that he might tell himself that his own plan had failed, or
was it to conjure up the prospect of a conflict with
Transjordan
Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan
after the coming
pilgrimage ? Certainly with the growing severity of religious restrictions and the
increasing pressure which is being brought to bear to have the Prophet’s tomb at
Medina demolished, to prohibit the import of motor cars and to cancel the levying
of customs duties, the situation on the
Transjordan
Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan
border must prove to Ibn Saud
a very opportune distraction for his turbulent followers.
3. Further information on the Beni Malek inciden t, referred to in recent
reports, encourages speculation on the future of the Hejaz which, if premature, is
not entirely idle, for any change is likely to be sudden. There is now reliable evidence
to show that if the Beni Malek revolt had met with success the whole of the Hejaz
would have joined in with them. The whole of the Hejaz does not, of course, include
Jeddah and Mecca. Those two cities, like over-ripe plums already advanced in
putrescence, wait to be plucked. They, the fruit of the pilgrimage with no root in
the country, are the spoil of the victor. Their inhabitants are foreign and mongrel.
Five times a day they are whipped into prayer, and fifty times a day would not
straighten the back of one of them to turn on his aggressor. It is different with the
Bedu. The Beni Malek rising failed, and the country is now supposed to be safe
for ten years. Once more, say his closest supporters, the luck of Ibn baud has held.
The profits of the pilgrimage are still safe for draining through the sticky fingers
of Abdullah Suleiman into Nejd. But the doubt remains as to what will happen
on the day that Ibn Saud fails. Will the enigmatical Amir baud be strong enough
to hold the kingdom together, or will the Hejaz resume its separate entity from the
quickly discarded Feisal?
[651 ee—2]
About this item
- Content
The volume mostly contains printed copies of despatches from HM Agent and Consul, Jeddah, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, enclosing reports on the situation in the Hejaz (also spelled Hedjaz in the file) [now a region of Saudi Arabia], from January 1924 to December 1930, and related enclosures to the reports. These despatches were sent to the Under-Secretary of State for India by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The volume also includes 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. Political and Secret Department minute papers, which include comments on the reports, and indicate that the reports had been seen by the Under-Secretary of State for India and the Political Committee of the Council of India.
The reports are monthly for January to August 1924, May 1925, September 1925 to March 1927, June 1927 to June 1930, and December 1930. Reports between these dates cover shorter periods, except July and August 1930, which are both covered by one report, and September, October and November 1930, which are also covered by one report.
The reports discuss matters including the actions of King Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi of the Hejaz, including his attempts to gain recognition as Caliph, and the military and financial situation in the Hejaz during the war between the Hejaz and the Saudi Sultanate of Nejd [Najd]. They report on events of the Hedjaz-Nejd war including: the capture of Taif (September 1924) and Mecca (October 1924) by Nejd; the departure of the ex-King Hussein from Jeddah; the fall of Medina and Jeddah and the surrender of the Hejaz to Sultan Abdul Aziz of Nejd [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd, also known as Ibn Saud] (December 1925); and the formal assumption of the title of King of the Hejaz and Sultan of Nejd and its Dependencies by Ibn Saud (8 January 1925).
The reports following the annexation of the Hejaz by Nejd cover internal affairs, including prohibitions introduced for religious reasons, the Hejaz Railway, the financial situation of the Hejaz-Nejd Government, and the Hejaz Air Force. They also report on foreign relations, including: the publication of an agreement, dated 21 October 1926, between Ibn Saud and Sayyid Hassan-el-Idrisi, establishing the suzerainty of Ibn Saud over Asir; relations between Ibn Saud and Imam Yahya of the Yemen; the situation on the frontiers between Nejd and Iraq, and Nejd and Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan ; and the Treaty of Jeddah between Hejaz-Nejd and Great Britain (20 May 1927). They also report Ibn Saud being proclaimed King of the Hejaz, Nejd and its Dependencies (4 April 1927).
In addition, other frequently occurring topics in the reports are: the Pilgrimage [Hajj], including the arrival of pilgrims in the Hejaz, from India, Java and elsewhere, arrangements for the pilgrimage, the welfare of pilgrims, and the repatriation of pilgrims; and the slave trade and slavery in the Hejaz, including the manumission and repatriation of slaves.
The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (445 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.
The subject 1707 (Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)) consists of one volume only.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 447; 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 4-444; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [128r] (260/898), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/1115, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100084998360.0x00003d> [accessed 27 March 2025]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/1115
- Title
- File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:88v, 90r:104v, 106r:108v, 110r:124v, 126r:128v, 129v:132v, 133v, 134v:137v, 139r:145r, 146r:161v, 162v:180v, 183r:205v, 206v:267r, 269r:271v, 273r:288v, 291r:308v, 309v, 310v, 311v, 312v, 313v, 314v, 315v, 316v, 317v:321r, 324r:335r, 337r:378v, 379v:381v, 383v:389v, 391r:393v, 395v:397v, 399r:400r, 402r:446v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence