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‘Persian Gulf gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Précis of Katar [Qatar] affairs, 1873-1904.’ [28r] (55/92)
The record is made up of 1 volume (46 folios). It was created in 1904. It was written in English. 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.
Arab rising in Katar—1898.
181. Jasim-bin-Thani comes into prominence again in 1898, when he seems
to have taken a leading part—though
Secret e, Norember 1898, Nos. 515-523. probably a secret one—in an Arab rising in
Katar against the Turks. On the 23rd April
1898, the Assistant
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.
, Basrah, received the news that Sheikh
Mubarak Sabah of Koweit, had led an attack a few days previously against the
Hawair tribe of Bedouins, who were under the protection of Jasim-bin-Thani, and
after defeating them had captured a large number of cattle. This was resented
very much by Jasim and his Arabs, and as they suspected that Sheikh Mobarik
had acted under Turkish support, they had a quarrel with the Turkish soldiers
in Katar. A free fight then ensued between the Arabs and the soldiers, and it
was even said that the Turkish garrison was attacked by Jasim.
182. The commander of the Sphinx, who was on his way from Bushire to
Karachi, was then requested to call at Bidaa and report the facts, which so
far as could be gathered on a short visit by Lieutenant Eobinson to the shore
appeared to be as follows :—
To go some time back, Hafiz
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
, Valiof Basrah, about 5 years ago, came with gun
boats and bombarded the town (Bidaa). This was
No. 523 of Secret E, November 1898. owing to Jasim-bin-Thani raising the Arabs to
1^08.515-523. resist and attempt to turn out the Turks. Thig
acounts for the very dilapidated state of a considerable portioa of the town visible from the
harbour. For some considerable time previous to this, it has not been the custom to keep a
gun-boat at this place constantly, but there was usually one stationed either at Bidaa or Katif.
Some 3 months ago, tbe Sheikh of Koweit made an excursion to punish the Beni
Haiar tribe for repeated acts of robbery; Jasim-bin-Thani mixed himself up in this affair,
in so far, as he complained to the Turks that the Sheikh of Koweit had taken, amongst the
spoils from the Beni Hajar, certain property that belonged to him. The Turks, however, refused
to interfere, and it is supposed that this caused him to become disaffected to the Turks.
About two months ago, during the temporary absence of the gun vessel, a rising of the Arabs
took place, in which a few on either side were killed ; it could not be ascertained who led the
Arabs. In consequence of this the garrison has been strengthened, and it is now rumoured
to amount to 800 men, and it is also believed that some field-pieces were brought from
Basrah.
In reading this report it should be distinctly remembered that tbe small amount o£
information that could be gained from the Turks was not reliable, owing to their natural
distrust of our movements, and that from the Arab source was restricted in extent owing to
the little communication that appears to go on between the two communities.
It is, I understand, the intention of the Turks to keep a gan-boat constantly at Bidaa, and
it was ramoured that the Turkish Government meditates strengthening their fleet in these
waters.
Jasim-bin-Thani has not been living in the tow r n for some considerable time, and was re
ported to be about 9 hours' journey inland. I may note here that, whenever this man's name
was mentioned, there appeared a great reserve concerning him and a great disinclination to talk
about him. The Turks, it is said, have confiscated his property in the town, his brother Ahmed
Hn-Thani lives in the town and is practically the Arab Governor ; be was very civil to
Lieutenant Robinson. Yusuf-bin-Rahim, the brother-in-law of the Sheikh of Koweit,
has, I take it, influenced affairs in this direction to a certain extent ; he has plenty of money,
and is constantly intriguing against Mubarak of Koweit, and having joined with Jasim, the
latter is naturally influenced.
Yusuf left in a
dhow
A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean.
about 10 years ago for Lingah in order to proceed by steamer
to Bombay where he has much business.
An item of information which may be useful to show the way the wind is veering, is that
an influential family, consisting of Muhammad-bin-Subab, Mubarak-bin-Athba and Muham
mad -bin Jarra, have had their property confiscated by the Turks since the last conflict, and they
have fled and sought protection from the Emir of Nejd, and Ahmed has hopes that hey
may induce the Emir to assist them against the Turks.
My general impression is that the Turks maintain merely a defensive or even a passive
occupation of the place, and their tenure is only relied on by the presence of the gunboat. No
attempt whatever has been made to improve the fortification of the fort or to repair its many
dilapidations. .
They appear to be mainly dependent for their provisions and supplies upon Basrah. They
do not seem in any way to interfere with the government of the town outside the fort, which
is left in the Arabs' hands ; nor do they apparently mix with the Arabs to acy great extent*
About this item
- Content
The volume, stamped ‘Confidential’ on the front cover, is part 1 (historical and political materials) of a précis of Qatar (spelt Katar throughout) affairs for the years 1873 to 1904. It was prepared by Judge Jerome Antony Saldanha of the Bombay Provincial Civil Service, and published in 1904 by the Government of India Foreign Department, Simla, India.
The main subjects of the précis, which is comprised chiefly of extracts from Government correspondence, run as follows:
- Turkish movements in Qatar, 1873; Chief of Bahrain (spelt Bahrein throughout) advised to keep aloof from complications in Qatar, 1873;
- British intervention refused to Chief of Debai [Dubai] in case robberies committed against vessels of his subjects on Qatar coast, 1873;
- Threatened attack on Bahrain and Qatar (Zobarah [Zubara]) by the Bedouin tribes of Beni Hajir, 1874;
- Complaints of Turkey about Chief of Bahrain’s encroachments in Qatar, 1874;
- The Beni Hajir attack Zubara and commit piracies, 1875;
- Aggressive policy of the Turks and establishment of a new Turkish province on the Arabian littoral of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ;
- Plunder of a Bahrain boat by the Beni Hajir and an excessive contribution levied by the Chief of Bidaa [Al-Bidda] on British Indian traders residing there;
- Claims preferred by the Government of Basrah [Basra] on behalf of the inhabitants of Qatar against certain residents of Bahrain, 1876;
- Alleged ill-treatment of British Indian subjects, 1879;
- Piracies at Zubara – destruction of Zubara by Shaikh Jasim [Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thānī], 1878;
- Ill-treatment of Indian traders, 1879;
- Question of suppression of piracies on the Arab coast. Claims of the Turks to Odeid [’Odaid] (1871-81); previous history of ’Odaid, 1837-76;
- History of ’Odaid continued, question of Turkish jurisdiction on the Qatar coast, and suppression of piracies, 1878-81;
- Removal of section of the Al-bu-Kowareh tribe from Al-Bidda to Foweyrat [Fujairat], 1879;
- Threatened attack on Bahrain by Nasir-bin-Mobarik [Nasir bin Mubarak] and Shaikh Jāsim of Al-Bidda, 1881;
- Shaikh Jāsim’s desire to occupy ’Odaid, 1881;
- Policy as to the relations to be maintained with Shaikh Jāsim and the Turkish Government in Qatar, 1881;
- Ill-treatment of British subjects by Shaikh Jāsim and exaction of a fine from him, 1880-82;
- Protest of the Porte against British proceedings at Al-Bidda. British disclaimer of Turkish jurisdiction in Qatar, 1883;
- Shaikh Jāsim’s projected expedition against a branch of the Beji Hajirs in 1884;
- Fight between the Ejman [Ajman] and allied tribes on one side and Morah and Monasir tribes on the other, 1884;
- Disputes between Shaikh Jāsim and the Chief of Abuthabi [Abu Dhabi], Jāsim’s intentions to occupy ’Odaid and the ill-treatment of Bedouins at Al-Bidda, 1885-86;
- Outrages against Indian subjects under Jāsim’s instigation, and Shaikh Jāsim made to pay a fine, 1887;
- Protests of the Porte against British Government proceedings, 1888;
- Question of withdrawal of the Turkish garrison from Al-Bidda;
- Turkish expansion along the Arab coast and the policy of the British Government, 1888;
- Hostilities between Shaikh Jāsim and Shaikh Zaid [Zayed bin Khalifa] of Abu Dhabi, reported movements of the Chief of Jabal Shamer Ibn Rashid towards Oman in order to aid Shaikh Jāsim, 1888-89;
- Jāsim carrying munitions of war by sea, 1889;
- Turkish project of rebuilding Zubara, 1888;
- Turkish measures for establishing their jurisdiction on a firmer basis on the Arab coast. Increase of Turkish forces in Qatar, 1888;
- Intrigues of Jāsim against Abu Dhabi, 1889-90;
- Turkish projects for rebuilding Zubara and ’Odaid, 1890-91;
- Hostilities between Shaikh Jāsim and the Turks, 1891-93;
- British policy towards Jāsim during the hostilities. Chief of Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, 1893;
- Question of Turkish jurisdiction in Qatar, 1893;
- Removal by Turkish authorities of the British flag from a boat at Al-Bidda, 1897;
- Occupation of Zubara by the Al-bin-Ali tribe with the support of the Turks and Shaikh Jāsim. Threatened attack of Bahrain, and the energetic measures taken to expel the settlement, 1895;
- Arab rising against the Turks in Qatar;
- Disturbances off the Qatar coast between the Amamera and Al-bin-Ali tribes, 1900;
- Piracies committed by the Beni Hajir off the Qatar coast, 1900;
- Reconsideration of our general policy on the Arab side of the Gulf;
- (1) Proposed British protectorate over the Chief of Qatar; (2) Aggressive action of the Porte in attempted to establish mudirates at ’Odaid, Wakra and Zubara, 1902-04.
The appendices are as follows:
- A. Memorandum on the causes of the hostility between Shaikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi and Shaikh Jāsim;
- B. Extract from Captain Daly’s draft letter to the address of 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. , submitted for approval on 14 January 1901, relating to Qatar;
- C. Memorandum by Mr EC Block, dated 11 March 1903, about the Turkish claim over Qatar.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (46 folios)
- Arrangement
The contents of the précis are arranged in rough chronological order, and organised under a number of subheadings, with each paragraph numbered from 1 to 229. Three appendicies follow the main précis. There is a contents page at the front of the volume (f 5) which lists the subheadings with their corresponding paragraph numbers. The appendices are referenced using the volume’s pagination system.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the inside back cover; 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 volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence, with page numbers located top and centre of each page.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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‘Persian Gulf gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Précis of Katar [Qatar] affairs, 1873-1904.’ [28r] (55/92), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/C243, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023526379.0x000039> [accessed 18 April 2024]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/20/C243
- Title
- ‘Persian Gulf gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Précis of Katar [Qatar] affairs, 1873-1904.’
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:17r, 18r:45v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence