Correspondence Relating to Ibn Saud Circulated to Kuwait by Other Gulf Posts [178v] (356/408)
The record is made up of 1 file (202 folios). It was created in 29 May 1919-14 Sep 1922. It was written in English and Arabic. 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.
6 . Halted for prayers at Jfwc/cZwr, arriving 7-30 p.m., ten miles west of
’Ojair. Said Maghrib and Asha prayers, took coffee and started again at
8-30 p.m. All in goodspirits*
7. The route is over sandy ground, rather little hills of sand "'dunes,’
without any path or track, still Muhammad A1 Aswad knows his way—does
not own that he is guided by stars, A few “ Fasti ” wild date palm, our
Indian Ak, and one or two kinds of shrubs here and there form the only
green. Our camels avail themselves of a snatched morsel of these shrubs every
now and then.
8 . Muwaih was reached at 12-30 after midnight, after a good five hours’
run, covering at least 20 miles of deep sand, the patient quiet camels moving
up and down the dunes. We felt tired and Farhan, remembering Major
Hickson’s “Not to cook me too fast,” ordered a halt. We slept on the cool
sands till 3-30 a.m., when Muhammad Al Aswad awoke us with a peremptory,
even harsh “Goomoo Salloo ”. Fine star-lit night, cool and calm. No moon,
no sound except the little wail of the camel which must needs be tired, having
come down over night from Hofuf (over fifty miles) and now doing the return
journey afer a few r hours * rest. Our kit and servants are still behind though
they started from Muwaih with us. Starting at 1 a.m.
9. Sabakhah was passed at sunrise. It is a watering place or where
temporary little pools are dug, as at Muwaih, and sweet water comes out in a
sufficient quantity. Small level plain or
wadi
A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows.
with a patch of green surrounded
by sand hills or dunes (Taus plural of Taas as these are
called by Arabs). We passed on at some distance of it, leaving it at about 400
yards to our left (east). The route, seen now, lay over a level plain of whitish
(salt) ground, a narrow valley among sand dunes, for about two miles. Saw
several little heaps of camel bones, skeletons lying in this valley. These were
the poor beasts that were “ Inqataa” (= cut off—very expressive word indeed
characteristic of the Arabic language) from the train by sheer fatigue and
heavy load. This is about middle of the distance between ’Ojair and Hofuf ;
the wretched animal must have found himself unable, after a halt, to go on
any farther, and been beaten to death by the cruel Hai in an attempt to make
him go on. We had to exchange tw o of our camels which had been giving
trouble, sitting down every now and then and refusing to go on (Muhammad-
al-Aswad’s and Farhan’s). Former picked out two out of a lot going down
unladen to bring cargo from ’Ojair ; as result we went on at a better pace.
10. Oehdeht I was told, was some miles off to our left (east). It was at
this place that the whole of the-Turkish Askar (garrison) was surprised and
butchered to a man by the Manasir Badoos.
11 . Jishskeh, a big village with a ‘ Soor ’ wall, was first seen from the last
and highest sand-hills (Taus) at 8 a.m., Jebel Garrah (G=Q= .£)((,=well-fixed)
and Jebel Buraigab (lit. little bright thing) also seen at a distance of 19 miles
or so to the N.-N.-W. Former is higher and longer of a dull sandy colour,
while the latter, as its name suggests, is small and of a whitish colour. The
village is inhabited by the Hassa Arabs and seems to contain some 300 house»
. with population of 1,200 to 1,500 souls. Fine little mud-houses, nearly all
one story. We passed on to Jafar, arriving at 9 a.m: From Jishsheh, it may
be said,
Wadi
A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows.
Hassa begins with a long stretch of date palms, fine gardens and
green fields. Barley freshly harvested. Inhabitants are all Falalih. Plenty
of water from springs.
12. Jafar, a smaller village than Jishsheh of same type. We could not
go on although Hofuf is only two hours’ distance. It is now 9 a.m., but the
sun is so (strong and wind Gharbi) so hot that it is (in addition to the fatigue)
most discomforting, if not risky, to continue the march to Hofuf. We have
already been moving pretty fast for about 13 hours and must have, I think,
covered at least 50 miles. Halted for “ Maqil ” (mid-day rest) at one Farhau
Al Ajail’s, who gave us a good lunch. Abdullah bin Hasan Al Qusaibi joined
us here. He comes to receive us. Had fine grapes, figs, water-mellons and
fi-esh dates, exceptionally good and very cool, “ Laban ” (whey) almost icy
cool owing to Gharbi, hot wind. Took coffee at Amir’s and started at 4 p.m.
Halted for Asar prayers.
About this item
- 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 View the complete information for this record
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- Reference
- IOR/R/15/5/398
- Title
- Correspondence Relating to Ibn Saud Circulated to Kuwait by Other Gulf Posts
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:8v, 10v, 13v, 15v, 18v:23v, 27v, 30v, 33v:34v, 37v:38v, 39v:42v, 48v:113v, 114v:117v, 120v:123v, 127v:142v, 144v:145v, 146v:147v, 148v:149v, 150v:159v, 161v:174v, 176v:201v, 203v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence