'File 22/12 Situation at Diba'

Content

The file contains correspondence, mainly between 1941 and 1944 and starts with reports of the building of a fortified tower at the town of Diba [Dibba] (also spelt Dhibah, Daba) by the minority Qawasim One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. [Āl Qawāsim One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. ] (also spelt Jawasim) inhabitants, subjects of the Regent of Kalba [Kalbā'], for protection from cross-border raids by the local Shihuh [Shiḥūḥ] (also spelt Shahuh) majority population, subjects of the Sultan of Muscat. The correspondence discusses the opposition of the Muscat authorities both to the building of this defensive post on the boundary between Qawasim One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. and Shihuh territory and to the occupation of three Qawasim One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. villages in nearby Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Madha land in the Shamaliyah District, by armed men sent by the Regent of Kalba, in response to an appeal by the villagers for protection against Shihuh attacks. Also reported are the several visits to Diba by official representatives from Muscat and Kalba, as well as local British officials, to secure a temporary truce and resolve the more or less permanent state of tribal conflict existing in the locality, by negotiating a lasting peace settlement.

The main correspondents are 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. Agent and the Political Officer for the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. , (both based at Sharjah); the Political Agents for Bahrain and Muscat; and the 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. . There are also English translations and one Arabic transcript of several letters from Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmad [Āl Qasimī, Shaikh Khālid bin Ahmad] the Regent of Kalba to 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. Agent, Sharjah, mainly in 1941, about repeated attacks on Diba by the Shihuh and the progress of his peace negotiations with the representative of the Sultan of Muscat and Oman. There are English translations of several other letters from the Sultan of Muscat and Oman and his ministers, to the Regent of Kalba and the British Consul Muscat, about outbreaks of fighting between the Shihuh and Qawasim One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. at Diba, including a list of Shihuh complaints against the Qawasim One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. (folio 70) and the peace agreement made in 1941 (folio 74).

The file also includes a small, black and white photograph (folio 78) of the fortified tower at Diba, taken in 1944 by the Political Officer for the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. , Sharjah, after it had been rebuilt in contravention of the peace agreement between the Qawasim One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. and Shihuh inhabitants.

Extent and format

1 file (90 folios)

Arrangement

File papers are arranged more or less chronologically.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover (f 1) and terminates at the back cover (f 90); 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in the file. These numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.

Written in

English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script

Type

Archival file

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/15/2/620

Former external reference(s)

Confidential Series: 22/12

History of this record

Date(s)

8 Dec 1940-19 Feb 1945 (CE, Gregorian)

Subjects

Bilateral relationsEthnic conflictsFortificationsPeacemaking

Places

DibaKalba

People & organisations

Political Agent and Consul, MuscatPolitical Agent, Trucial CoastRegent of KalbaSultan of Muscat and Oman, Āl Bū Sa'īd DynastyAssistant Political Agent, BahrainNative Agent, Trucial Coast, SharjahShiḥūḥ (Tribe)Āl Qawāsim (Tribe)

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'File 22/12 Situation at Diba', British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/620, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000000241.0x00000b> [accessed 7 May 2024]

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