"ملاحظات ميدانية: بلاد الرافدين. هيئة الأركان العامة في الهند. فبراير ١٩١٧". [ظ‎‎٥‎٩] (٣٥٠/١٢٥)

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family and the Ilbegi from the other. Their noto
rious jealousies and want of unanimity are detri
mental to the efficiency of their administration, as
discord causes the personal allegiance of their
subjects to be unreliable. Such discord affords op
portunities for interference by the Pers’an Govern
ment, and for hostile intrigue from outside.
There is a British Consul at Muhammareh, and a Vice-Consul
at Ahwaz, who deals with the Bakhtiaris, and moves to Isfahan
in the summer.
The hereditary Shaikh of Muhammareh is a personage of
some importance, as he is the ruler over the whole of the southern
portion of the Persian province of ’Arabistan, and, though
nominally subject to the Government of Tehran, he is in great
measure independent of the Persian Central authority. Thus,
although he pays a certain tribute in return for the freedom of
administrative rights, and while there is a Persian customs
official at Muhammareh, the latter is only there by agreement
with the Shaikh.
As regards relations with Persia, in addition to the customs
officials at Muhammareh, Ma’shur, and Hindiyan, there are
Persian post and telegraph offices; there is a Persian Foreign
Office representative at Muhammareh.
There is a British post office attached to the Consulate.
Eastern shores of the Gulf.
The whole of the eastern shores of the Gulf are Persian terri
tory. Around Muhammareh and down to the shores of the Gulf
proper, is the locality known as Southern ’Arabistan; continu
ing south to the Gulf of ’Oman are what are known as the
Persian Coast Districts, the last of which adjoins Persian Makran
lying on the Gulf of ’Oman and outside the Persian Gulf.
The coast “ districts ” of the Persian Gulf proper contain the
ports of Bushire, Lingeh and Bandar ’Abbas the only places
where the administration is carried out by Persian officials
under direct control of the Central Persian Government. In
the other localities, the government is farmed out in different
degrees to local or other chiefs.
The British Indian Government maintains at Bushire a Resi
dent, who is known as the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.