![File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [‎9r] (26/995)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x00028f/IOR_L_PS_10_761_0026.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [‎9r] (26/995)")
File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [9r] (26/995)
The record is made up of 1 volume (491 folios). It was created in 28 Jun 1920-11 Feb 1921. 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
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
rSi
Tribal Situation.
raP'-SHAgAW
I 3
?
jmmm
0)
Following the withdrawal of District Officers
to Hasiriyah, Government hulldings throughout the Gharaff
were ransacked, telegraph lines entirely removed and road
bridges over canals torn up. The tribes taking their cue
from Snglish newspaper articles doubtless believed we were
on the point of evacuating Mesopotamia, and the local
temper was not unreasonably anti-British or rather pr#-loot
In early September there was no sign of adequate force
arriving in Nasiriyah to effect the relief of the Greenfly
and the beleaguered garrison at Samawah, and the Gharaff
attitude was one of passive hostility. Propaganda of
ftajaf Emissaries sent to raise a revolt amongst these
warlike tribes failed because of the friendly attitude of
Shaikh Khaiyun al Obaid, the dominating figure of their
world. From the moment Khaiyun was appointed A.P.O. down
to the present, he hai, throughout his critical period,
often at great personal risk, kept in close communication
with Government at Hasiriyah. He has been able to maintain
his position by reason of tribal disunity, playing off
rival factions one against the other and often scoring off
his old enemies. The Q,alat Sikkar tribes had made a sworn
covenant to march against Hasiriyah under the leadership
of Saiyid Abdul Mahdi bin Saiyid Hasan (See my note under
cover of P*0 ! s 6153 of 23/8) but instead they soon fell
to fighting amongst themselves. The dispute arose over the
possession of Qelat Sikkar town with its rich revenues.
Mohan al Khaiyrullah, Rais al Humaid, and perhaps the most
powerful Shaikh of the District claimed the town in much
the same way that Khaiyun had, during 10 yea,rs of Turkish
ineptitude established his claim to Shatrah. Mohan’s claim
was countered by the claim of Al Togiyah tribe which promjtfe
fize’ad and came in to fight for possession. Attaiyah al
Haji Sa’id the leader of the town and his two sons and
three brothers were all murdered, and there followed an
exodus of merchants and important townspeople# These callqf
upon Khaiyun to come over and help them. In September
Khaiyun
About this item
- Content
The volume consists of correspondence, memoranda, drafts, and departmental notes relating to rebellion against British mandatory rule in Mesopotamia [approximately corresponding to present-day Iraq], later known as the Iraqi Revolt of 1920.
The volume covers the period from the start of unrest in May 1920 to British imposition of control in October of the same year. The majority of the volume comprises reports from political officers across Mesopotamia on the situation in their respective divisions and districts.
Other matters discussed within the volume include:
- The suspected causes of the uprising, including fears of ‘Bolshevik’ and pro-Turkish influence
- Settlement of the border between Syria and Mesopotamia
- Military strategy and operations, including the need for reinforcements
- The severing of British lines of communication, particularly rail
- The efficacy and principles of the use of armoured cars and air raids as means of control following numerous cases of misidentification and disproportionate force that resulted in the deaths and injuries of innocent people
- Political and civil policy in the region
- Identification and arrest of some of the leaders of the rebellion
- The prominence of events in Mesopotamia in the British press
- The question of disarming the tribes following the suppression of the rebellion.
Principal correspondents include officials at: 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 Office of the Civil Commissioner in Mesopotamia (from November 1920, the High Commissioner); the War Office; General Headquarters of the military in Mesopotamia; and the Government of India, Foreign and Political and Army departments.
The volume contains cuttings from several publications, including: The Times , The Statesman , The Observer , The Daily Herald , The Daily Mail , The Baghdad Times , and The Near East .
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. A second divider is included, for File 4722/1918 Part 7, entitled ‘Mesopotamia: Sir A. Wilson’s invitation to Syrian Baghdadis’. This was transferred to File 5268/20 Parts 1 and 2 (see IOR/L/PS/10/913).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (491 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume is arranged in approximate chronological order, from the rear to the front.
The subject 4722 (Mesopotamia) consists of ten volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/755-764. The volumes are divided into twelve parts, with parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12 comprising one volume each. Part 10 is missing. Part 7, entitled ‘Mesopotamia: Sir A. Wilson’s invitation to Syrian Baghdadis’, was transferred to File 5268/20 Parts 1 and 2 (see IOR/L/PS/10/913).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 489; 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. Multiple intermittent additional foliation sequences are also present. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. The sequence contains one foliation anomaly, f 89a.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [9r] (26/995), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/761, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100137804985.0x00001b> [accessed 13 June 2026]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100137804985.0x00001b
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100137804985.0x00001b">File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [‎9r] (26/995)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100137804985.0x00001b"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x00028f/IOR_L_PS_10_761_0026.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x00028f/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/761
- Title
- File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:i-v, 1r:89v, 89ar:89av, 90r:113r, 114v, 118v:120r, 121v, 127v:169v, 173r:192v, 194r:211v, 213r:223v, 225r:227r, 229r:261v, 262v:263v, 266r:279v, 280ar, 280r:293v, 294v, 295v:317v, 318ar, 318r:333v, 334v:341v, 342v:359v, 360v:400v, 404r:424v, 425ar, 425r:489v, 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