'NOTES ON THE ISLANDS OF BAHRAIN AND ANTIQUITIES BY CAPTAIN E. L. DURAND, 1 ASSISTANT RESIDENT, PERSIAN GULF.' [‎20v] (3/32)

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, 1 nT1 f i irec sides by the mainland lying roughly
Bahrain heing f r ^ un( ^ d t ,°p int^^ncdiate ocean, which is the unsurvey-
at a distance of 30 to 40 miles o , an attac k may be appre-
ed part, is the very one from difficult to guard,
hended, and against which it ® ^Tjukban * or hill of smoke, in the very
8 . Prom the top of ^^Xarger island, a perfect view of this sea
• About 400 feet above sea level. j t ^ e en cireling mainland is obtainable, aw us,
necessary could be very easily made use of as a signalling stat.on, as the bill
top is distinctly visible both from Muharrak and Manameh.
9 Trade. —There is not much to be said about the trade of these islands.
10 Pearls and dates are the chief, almost the only exports, but the stat'stacs
are annually given in the re P ort f' '^'^Xbs from Hindustan, those resident
^^4 m^™ve y r y^ll way of business, the larger capitalists coming
over for the pearl season only. A , , •, n
11. The trade operations of these islands might be greatly extended under a
settled Government; if for instance the British Government held them, they
would draw the trade of the whole Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and be a trade centie, from
which Persia and Arabia would be supplied and drained.
12. I sav boldly that there would be no merchants left in any of the ports
subject to Native rule in the whole of the Gulf from Basrah to Maskat, except
the agents necessary for clearing the customs and passing on consignments
inland.
13. A glance at the map will show that, with no labour to speak ot, a most
excellent harbour could be brought up to the very doors of the ware-houses,
which might be built on land reclaimed from the sea.
14. The land reclaimable stretchesf almost from the Portuguese fort to the
t See tracing of islands where i island of Muharrak, and all that would be neces-
have marked the soundings Measurements of the depth of a body of water. . sar y to effect this WOUld be a Wall of StOUCS Carried
out at low tide if necessary, and built up by degrees. During the present full
moon and low tides I have seen the land dry to where the coral reefs sink
abruptly into deep water.
15. Interior of the Islands. —The interior of the islands of Bahrain, and of
the large one in particular, presents some every marked features.
.16. Beginning at the centre and looking outwards, takingone's stand on the
Jebel Dukhan or hill of smoke, the whole lies below in full view. Firstly, the
hill itself, which seems to be of limestone and stands up some 400 feet above
the sea level, looks as if it were the old crater of a volcano (if this could be)
with an encircling ring of cliffs facing inwards some three or four miles off.
Keally, however, I fancy that it would be more correct to say that a space of
land all round the Jebel and contained in the circle of cliffs are of limestone,
and present no appearance of course of volcanic action having taken place!
Prom the outer crest of this ring of cliffs the land slopes more or less eraduallv
down to the sea on all sides. 0
17. The chartj of Bahrain harbour, though scarcely intended to be an accu-
t By Commander Constable and ia ^ e ly land Survey, shoA\ S the lie of the ground
Lieut, wish, resurveyed in 1872-74 more truly than does the small man sunnlipd tn
SS!T- 8 lb?or^t~' yourself by Mr. Thompson, where an «X(QedJ
A Iv * -r . . ^ , importance, not found in the original (?) chart is
given to the Jebel Dukhan and the encircling cliffs.
r ^ 0 r ^! ie and east all the island seems verv bare but almncf
aUround n Jebel groups of palm begin to line the coast and stretch from' thence'
all round the northern shore to the north-east. These must of couZ 111 k !
fctS. SUPP With ^ aild BahraiU indeed " ^erfully gifted in