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'File 61/11 VI (D 102) Hejaz-Nejd Miscellaneous' [‎54r] (128/522)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (259 folios). It was created in 2 Feb 1931-30 Aug 1934. It was written in English and Arabic. 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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Jt ^ 1 i oqi a( k d , or to what you already know regarding what
i it passed m 1931, but it may be useful to give some account of the setting. We
I' ^ lo y t f 1 ^ Saud claims to have come to an agreement with the Imam about
^ the frontier inland at the end of 1927. The most precise account of this is given
^ X 1° the 28th Jul y last - Mr. Zada there states
that on the 7th Rajab, 1346 (about the 31st December, 1927), the Saudi mission
then m Sana made a proposal to the Imam's representatives, and that two davs
later the latter accepted it, " except where it related to the Idrisi territorv "
Even assuming the Saudi account of this affair to be correct, it is obvious that an
exception m regard to Idrisi territory might be interpreted in various wavs.
The tdnsi had ruled mountainous regions in inland Asir at the height of his
power. Muhammad-bin-Dhulaim, who actually figured in the 1927-28 negotia
tions as one of Ibn Saud's representatives, had previously been the Idrisi's
'ii nit J 0 ™""" 1 in the country of the settled Qahtan (see Admiralty Handbook of
tr . ' P - . 4 P- 14 18 therefore evident that the words " Idrisi territory "
i W* might have very different meanings for Ibn Saud and for the Imam. Anyhow
? the situation ran on until the autumn of 1931, when the Imam occupied Jebel
Arwa, and precipitated some sort of a fresh frontier settlement. AH we know
l 7 about this is that m December 1931 Ibn Saud renounced any claim to Jebel Arwa
ep t and that his delegates signed what he regards as a treaty of friendship. &c. This
i* treaty, which, if ratified, was ratified in a very singular fashion, contains no
floltli, reference to frontiers, and nothing has ever been published on this subiect, except
1 - the announcement of the relinquishment of Jebel Arwa by Ibn Saud. It may, I
niii2s think, be said that there is a de facto frontier running inland from Muwassim
lik to the north of Jebel Arwa and of Sada, but except as regards these two points,
i Asm: the first of which Ibn Saud ceded in 1931, and the second of which he admits to
'0™ be m Yemen, I think it would be unsafe, in the present state of our knowledo-e.
trengtk to speak of either an understanding or a working agreement between the two
TOitk rulers. Fuad Bey might well feel free to suggest that nothing was agreed to
Asiri m 1931 which would affect Ibn Saud's right to Hodeida. But, as I have indicated
Saudi above, I do not think the suggestion is meant to be taken seriously. It would.
Mm m my opinion, become important only if Ibn Saud were negotiating with the
regit Imam after a successful war.
beidr 9- The historical review foreshadowed in paragraph 3 above will, if
dent m completed, deal to some extent with Nejran. That subject is not relevant to the
mkt Present despatch, but I may say for the sake of completeness that I doubt whether.
s |!l ce the latter part of the eighteenth century, any of the rulers mentioned in
comesff this despatch, whether Turks, Imam, Idrisi or Ibn Saud have ever established a
ieYen P 0 ®, 1 ^ 011 ^he region of the Wadis Nejran and Habuna sufficiently dominant
lg and durable to serve as the basis of a solid claim to sovereignty. This view seems
■ritonJ to underlie Ibn Saud's suggestion that it should be regarded as a sort of buffer
forli 01 neutral territory between Saudi Arabia and the Yemen, a solution which, in mv
risiffll 0 P ir ^ on ' has much to commend it.
10. I am sending a copv of this despatch to His Maiestv's Ambassador at
Rome.
I have, &c.
ANDREW RYAN.
w

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Content

The volume contains two original files bound together. The first file (folios 1A-207) has the original reference 61/11 VI (D 102) and covers the period 7 November 1933 to 30 August 1934 and relates to Hejaz-Najd affairs. The second file (folios 208-243) has the original reference 61/6 VII (D 95) and covers the period 2 February 1931 to 5 August 1932 and relates to Najd affairs. Both contain letters, telegrams, memoranda, and reports sent 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 High Commissioner in Baghdad (later the British Embassy following Iraqi independence in 1932), the Colonial Office in London, the Government of India, and Ibn Sa'ud.

The main subject of the first file is the territorial dispute between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Contained in the volume are papers concerning Saudi Arabian advances into the territories of 'Asir and Yemen and the subsequent Treaty of Taif that largely settled the dispute. There is also coverage of diplomatic conversations between Italy and Britain regarding the dispute, including secret talks in Rome. Included is the full Arabic text of the Treaty (folios 143-150A) and an English translation (folios 156-177).

Other subjects covered in the first file are:

Notable documents contained in the volume are a report on the heads of foreign missions in Jeddah, and a revised (June 1934) report on the leading personalities in Saudi Arabia.

The subjects covered by the second file are:

  • details and significance of a resurgence in war dancing by the Saudis;
  • the visit of Charles Crane to see Ibn Sa'ud;
  • a request for military assistance made by Saudi Arabia to Turkey;
  • the conditions of entry into Hasa for Hindu merchants.

At the end of each file are several pages of internal office notes.

Extent and format
1 volume (259 folios)
Arrangement

Each of the two separate files which make up the volume is arranged chronologically.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The sequence starts 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 anomalies: 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D; 11A and 11B; 24A; 30A; 132A; 143A; 150A; and 236A. There are two other sequences, both uncircled and incomplete.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 61/11 VI (D 102) Hejaz-Nejd Miscellaneous' [‎54r] (128/522), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/569, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023576504.0x000081> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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