ملف ٧٠٥/١٩١٦ الجزء ٢ "انتفاضة عربية: التقارير العربية؛ تقارير السير م. سايكس" [و‎‎١‎٥‎٦] (٤٥٠/٣٠٩)

5
V**
APPENDIX (A).
History of Sayyid Talib and his Family.
(By H. Dobbs.)
THE family of the Nakibs of Basra claim to be descendants of the great
Mohammedan saint, Sayyid Ahmad-er-Bifai, whose tomb stands in the centre of the
Jazira, half way between the Albu Darraj territory and the Hai. He was a purely
Sunni saint, and is held in no honour by the Shiahs.
Large tracts of land from time to time assigned to the Nakibs for the upkeep
of the tomb of Sayyid Ahmad-er-Bifai, and also for that of the less well-known saint,
Sayyid Shaban, whose tomb lies between Basra and Zobair. These lands were
properly Mulhaqa Waqf, the Nakib of the time being Mutawalli; and the Nakibs were
bound by religious laws to spend the proceeds of the lands entrusted to them on the
upkeep of the shrines. The latest Nakibs have been :—
Sayyid Talib (from Mendeli).
(Succeeded his brother-in-law, Abdul Rahman.)
Sayyid Abdur Rahman (died 1874 childless). Sister. Sayyid Muhammad Said
(died 1896, having resigned in 1890).
Sayyid Rejjeb Sayyid Ahmad
(present Nakib appointed in 1890). (died 1904).
Sayyid Talib. Sajyid Yusuf. Hamad. Sayyid Hashim.
It appears that about the year 1890 the present Nakib, Sayyid Rejjeb, under the
influence of his brother, Sayyid Ahmad, who had made much money by gun-running,
managed by bribery and other means to get the various lands held by him as Mulhaqa
Waqf registered by the Tapu Department as the private property of himself and his
brother. This was to the advantage of Sayyid Ahmad, as otherwise the Waqf
property would have descended to the elder branch as Mutwallis. There happened
to be in Basra an exceptionally honest Wall, Hamdi Pasha. He got wind of this
transaction and began moving to prevent the fraud. Thereupon Sayyid Rejjeb used
his influence in Constantinople and Bagdad to get Hamdi Pasha dismissed.
In 1899 Hamdi Pasha was again appointed Wali at Basra, and again came into
conflict with the Nakib, Sayyid Rejjeb. The Nakib, in council with Shaykh Mubarak
of Koweyt, who also disliked Hamdi Pasha, and who was a firm friend of the Nakib’s
family owing to their joint participation in gun-running, sent Sayyid Talib, his son, to
Constantinople to represent that all troubles with the Shaykh of Koweyt was due to
Hamdi Pasha. This was the first occasion of Sayyid Talib’s entry into Constantinople
politics. He succeeded in getting Hamdi Pasha dismissed and in procuring the
appointment as Y/ali of Muhsin Pasha, military commandant, who was friendly both to
Shaykh Mubarak and to the Nakib.
Owing to this success and the support of the new WhJi, Muhsin Pasha, and of
Shaykh Mubarak, Sayyid Talib now became a powerful personality in Basra. His
next step in the year 1900 was to secure the support of Shaykh Khazalof Mohammerah
by the murder of Abdullah Effendi Rawanduzia Kurd, the particular enemy of
Shaykh Khazal. The valuable "Basra date gardens of the Mohammerah family stood
in the name of Muzel, elder brother of Shaykh Khazal. Muzel was a Turkish subject,
and so was allowed to hold land. When Muzel was assassinated m Mohammerah,
Shaykh Khazal took steps to have the date gardens transferred to his own name.
Rawanduzi telegraphed to Constantinople pointing out that Khazal was a Persian
subject and could not under the law hold land in Turkey. He claimed 10 per cent, of
the value of the land as informer. Thereupon Mirza Hamza, the Shaykh s agent,
conferred with Sayyid Talib, who had Rawanduzi shot in the streets ol Basra by two
of his men. Frightened by this demonstration, the Turkish authorities gave way and
allowed the properties to be registered in Shaykh KhazaTs name. Sayyid Talib was
thus instrumental in getting Shaykh Khazal acknowledged as owner of the Basra
properties. From this time onwards Sayyid Talib yearly received large sums fiom
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