'34 File 666 Threatened invasion of Oman by Ibn Rashid'

Content

The volume contains correspondence relating to the perceived threat of attack on Oman by Ibn Rashid [Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullah Āl Rashīd]. The principal correspondents are: Edward Charles Ross, Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , at Bushire; Abul Kasim [Ḥajj Abu'l-Qāsim], Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Agent at Sharjah; Aḥmad bin ‘Abd al-Rasūl, Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Agent at Bahrain; various 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. , Foreign Office, and the Government of India; Henry Drummond Wolff, British Minister at Tehran; officials at the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. in Muscat; Faysal bin Toorki [Fayṣal bin Turkī, al-Sayyid], Sultan of Muscat; William Tweedie, 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. for Turkish Arabia A term used by the British officials to describe the territory roughly corresponding to, but not coextensive with, modern-day Iraq under the control of the Ottoman Empire. , at Baghdad; and William White, British Ambassador at Constantinople.

The volume largely consists of intelligence reports (both the originals in Arabic and the English translations) sent by the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Agents at Bahrain and Sharjah to Edward Ross at Bushire, which were subsequently shared and discussed with other departments. The volume is divided into four sections under a subject heading, as follows:

• 'Reports of Turkish Naval Reinforcement, etc. in connection with the threatened invasion of Oman by Ibn Rashid, June 1888';
• 'Threatened invasion of Oman by Ibn Rashid - Proceedings of Shaikh Jasim';
• 'Turkish Relations with Shammar Arabs of Mesopotamia';
• 'Genealogy of Mohammed ibn Rashid'.

Topics covered by the volume include:

• The build-up of Turkish military presence in the Gulf;
• The rivalry between Shaikh Saeed bin Khaleefah [Zāyid bin Khalīfa Āl Nahyān], ruler of Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi], and Jasim bin Mahomed Thani [Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thāni], ruler of El Bidaa (modern Doha);
• Jasim's attempts to gather support amongst the Arab tribes of the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. for Ibn Rashid's planned attack against Oman;
• Biographical information on Ibn Rashid and his family, as well as assessments of the support he enjoys in the region;
• British concern over the matter, and warnings given by them to the Turkish authorities of the consequences should the attack against Oman be made;
• A Turkish military expedition against sections of the Shammar (tribe) residing in Mesopotamia.

Extent and format

1 volume (244 folios)

Arrangement

The volume is divided into four sections, each covering a different subject. Within these sections the correspondence is arranged chronologically.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the sequence commences at the cover and terminates at the final folio; these numbers are written in pencil and can be found 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. Foliation errors: 1, 1A and 1B; 122 and 122A; 165 and 165A; 170, 170A and 170B; 214 and 214A.

Written in

English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script

Type

Letter book

Access & Reference

Original held at

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.

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

IOR/R/15/1/190

Former external reference(s)

666 Old Records (34)

History of this record

Date(s)

18 Jun 1888-15 Nov 1889 (CE, Gregorian)

Context of creation

The correspondence was written during a period when the Ottoman state had allied with Ibn Rashid, the Amir of Najd, and saw in him a chance to extend their sovereignty over the whole of the Arabian Peninsula. Firstly, and in this instance, they targeted Oman, which was vulnerable due to dynastic strife.

Subjects

Sovereignty

Places

OmanTrucial CoastNajdEl Bida

People & organisations

Sultan of Muscat and Oman, Āl Bū Sa'īd DynastyNative Agent, BahrainPolitical Agent and Consul, MuscatNative Agent, Trucial Coast, SharjahForeign OfficeHM Ambassador to IranHM Ambassador to the Ottoman EmpirePolitical Agent, Turkish ArabiaMuḥammad bin 'Abdullah Āl RashīdShammar (Tribe)

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'34 File 666 Threatened invasion of Oman by Ibn Rashid', British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/190, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x0000a3> [accessed 18 April 2024]

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