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'File 61/11 VII (D 122) Hejaz-Nejd Miscellaneous' [‎170r] (358/454)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (223 folios). It was created in 23 Jun 1934-30 Apr 1936. 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. .

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EASTERN (Arabia ). • September 7, 1935
■ —— — __
CONFIDENTIAL. ' S ection 1.
[E 5403/280/91]
Gist of a Report by Mr. Salih J afar Muhammad Salih J afar, M.B.E., British
Political Clerk, Hodeida. — {Enclosure to Aden Despatch No. 257 of
August 19, 1935; Communicated by Colonial Office, September 7.)
.
SLAVERY in the Yemen is still existing, and will continue to exist as long
as the Yemen is ruled by Arabs and there are chances of imports into the country.
2. There is a demand for slaves in the Yemen, whenever they are available,
but the Yemeni buyers are not wealthy, and, consequently, the interest displayed
is not so great as in the Hejaz and Nej d.
3. There is no special public market for slaves in the Yemen as at Jeizan
and Sabya, and slaves are therefore offered secretly to interested buyers, and
when sale is not effected they are transferred from place to place until they reach
Asir, where they fetch a better price.
4. It may be questioned as to why slaves are imported into the Yemen when
there is a better market in Asir. This is done to avoid detection by the sloops
patrolling in the Red Sea, as the Yemen ports are closer to the African smuggling-
ports than those of Asir.
5. There are many slaves owned by native Arabs in the Yemen, but as fresh
[supplies are rare they are not sold except in an emergency, and therefore command
high prices. The King of the Yemen himself and some of his sons are owners
of slaves. Some of the old slaves were emancipated by their owners, but are still
serving them.
6. Slaves are not usually kept by Yemenis for the purpose of labour. The
females serve as concubines, and are sometimes married; and the males are trained
to look after the owners' business and house. The chiefs and rulers use certain
of their slaves as soldiers.
7. The import of slaves, however, has greatly diminished during the last
five years, no doubt owing to the vigilance of the British Red Sea sloops.
8. A further reason for the fall in the imports of slaves in the Yemen may
be attributed to the prerogative exercised by Seif-al-Islam Ahmed, the eldest son
of the King of the Yemen. Between 1928 and 1930 a large number of slaves
were imported into Meidi. The owners and the slaves were ordered to pioceed
to Hajja, where Seif-al-Islam Ahmed purchased the best heads at very much
reduced prices. The owners sustained great losses, and this greatly discouraged
further imports, and since then slaves are secretly smuggled in small numbers as
crews, servants, &c., the Yemeni officials being bribed when necessary.
[506 g-1]
*

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Content

The volume contains letters, telegrams, and memoranda relating to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Most of the correspondence is between the British Legation in Jeddah, the Foreign Office in London, the Political Residencies in Bushire and Aden, the Political Agencies in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Muscat, the High Commissioner in Trans-Jordan, the British Embassy in Baghdad, the Colonial Office in London, 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. in London, the Government of India, and Ibn Sa'ud.

The volume covers a wide range of subjects, including:

  • the dispute between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, including issues of the translation of the Treaty of Taif;
  • the planning, development, and financing of roads;
  • the differing characters of two of Ibn Sa'ud's sons, Amirs Sa'ud and Faisal;
  • the appointment of new ministers in the Saudi Arabian government;
  • the slave trade in the region;
  • an Egyptian commercial and financial mission to the country led by Talaat Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. Harb;
  • a general amnesty for all 'political offenders' given by Ibn Sa'ud;
  • new regulations on foreign ownership of property;
  • Ibn Sa'ud's effort to improve the Saudi Arabian standing army;
  • the French upgrade of their Consulate in Jeddah to a Legation;
  • the general financial situation in Saudi Arabia;
  • the proposal to restore the Hejaz Railway, including the lead up to a conference on the matter in Haifa in October 1935;
  • an attempt on Ibn Sa'ud's life in Mecca;
  • Saudi-Soviet relations;
  • the activities of the Saudi Arabia Mining Syndicate;
  • Amir Sa'ud's visit to Europe;
  • the death of 'Abdullah ibn Jiluwi, Amir of Hasa;
  • the prospect of Saudi Arabia joining the League of Nations;
  • new Saudi regulations on the importation, sale, and possession of firearms;
  • officer training for Saudis and Yemenis in Iraq;
  • the introduction of a special import tax at Jeddah to fund local schools;
  • Anglo-Italian relations;
  • the proposal to renew the Treaty of Jeddah of 1927;
  • unrest in Hasa due to the imposition of a 'jihad tax' on those who did not take part in recent fighting on behalf of the Kingdom.

Notable in the volume is an interview with Fuad Bey Hamza, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, extracted from the newspaper Ayyam (folio 34).

At the back of the volume (folios 207-213v) are internal office notes.

Extent and format
1 volume (223 folios)
Arrangement

The volume is arranged chronologically.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The sequence begins on the first folio and continues through to the inside back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, circled, and 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. There are the following irregularities: 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D; 88, and 88A; 165 and 165A. There is a second foliation system that is uncircled and inconsistent.

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English in Latin script
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'File 61/11 VII (D 122) Hejaz-Nejd Miscellaneous' [‎170r] (358/454), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/570, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023571188.0x00009f> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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