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‘A sketch of the political history of Persia, Iraq and Arabia, with special reference to the present campaign.’ [17] (27/58)
The record is made up of 29 folios. It was created in 1917. 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.
17
The Company has its origin in the grant in 1901 by H. R. H.
the Shah of Persia to Mr. W. K. D'Arcy of a concession for
working petroleum in all its forms in Southern Persia.
The Company's first venture, at Qasr-i-Shirin, was dis
appointing ; oil was not found in quantities or at depths likely
to prove remunerative. A second attempt was madi' at
Mamatain, 12 miles North of Ram Hormuz and 60 miles East
of Ahwaz, with a similar result.
At this juncture fresh capital was sought, and obtained,
from the Burma Oil Company, and the promoters undaunted
by their previous failures started operations at Maidan-i-
Naftun or, as it is better known to the local Lurs, Masjid-i-
Sulaiman."* Boring was begun in January 1908. In May,
when hope had been almost abandoned, oil was struck first in
one boring, soon after in a second, and then in a third, and it
became apparent that a field of great extent and richness had
been tapped, as indeed has been proved by subsequent events.
During 1909 the initial steps were taken to enlarge the scope
and capital of the Company, which remained as before All
British " and to start (1) a pipe-line to the Shatt-al-Arab at
Abadan, 150 miles distant, and (2) a refinery at Abadan. Both
these were in working order by 1911 and 1912 respectively.
Early in 1914 in connection with the increasing use of oil
fuel by the Navy and with the general trend of political and
commercial affairs His Majesty's Government acquired a
predominant share in the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, the All-
British character of which Mas thus permanently assured.
The decision to double the pipe-line and increase the size of the
refinery, which had already been taken, was confirmed and
work was pushed on with ail speed by the Board ot Directors,
which had been strengthened by the addition of Government
directors.
The Companies' activities since the outbreak of war are
too well known to need detailed description, even were this
permissible. The whole output of the refinery, which is now
in 1917 double what it was at the outbreak of war, is at the
disposal of Government, with the exception of a oomparathely
small surplus of kerosine which is sold locally. The difficulties
of transport of the Expeditionary' Force would have been greatly
increased but for this valuable source of fuel oil, kerosine
and petrol.
• So called from the ruins of an ancient fire temple near by.
About this item
- Content
The volume is an overview of the political history of Persia, Iraq and Arabia, authored by the Office of the Chief Political Officer, Indian Expeditionary Force “D”, and printed by the Superintendent Government Printing, Calcutta [Kolkata], India in 1917. The volume is divided into a number of chapters:
1. An introduction to the political history of Persia, Iraq and Arabia, chiefly concerning Britain’s history of naval intervention and military occupation in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and its efforts in eradicating the slave trade, arms traffic and piracy;
2. A chapter entitled ‘The Arab attitude in Iraq before the War’, including: political conditions in Turkish Iraq prior to the War; the arrival of the Indian Expeditionary Force “D” at the start of the War; Ottoman ‘jihad’ against the British; Arab attitudes to the British in Iraq, central Arabia and Persian Arabistan;
3. British relations with Arabistan, including an overview of the Anglo-Persian War (1856-57), and a brief outline of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company’s activities in the region;
4. The Bakhtiari tribes, their leaders and their standing with the Persian Government, and the importance of maintaining British relations with them, with reference to trade routes, the maintenance of order in the oil fields, and the maintenance of friendly relations with the Shaikh of Muhammareh [Khorramshahr] and the Russians at Ispahan [Isfahān, or Eṣfahān];
5. Pusht-i-Kuh – ‘the right flank of Indian Expeditionary Force “D”’: a description of the area, and its strategic and economic importance, including: topography; climate; the position and powers of its Wali [governor] (taken from Lorimer’s Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ), the Wali’s relatives; and Kaka Siyah, who reside in the region and who are of African origin;
6. Arabia – the left flank of Indian Expeditionary Force “D”. The chapter is divided into two parts. The first part is a general description of the Arabian peninsula, including: topography and geographic features; political powers in Arabia: the Wahhabi, with a history of their development and territorial gains; Egypt; Ibn Rashid [Ibn Rashīd]; the British Government; and Turkish interests in Arabia. The second part is a detailed historical outline of British relations with Ibn Sa‘ūd;
7. Entitled The Trend of Turkish policy before the War and since (official) , and subdivided into parts on internal and external politics. The first part includes an assessment of the characteristics of ‘Ottoman people’ and their Government, the second concentrates on German influence and activity in Ottoman territories.
There are pencil annotations on the front flyleaf of the volume (folio 2), which make note of sections within the volume, with the corresponding page numbers.
- Extent and format
- 29 folios
- Arrangement
The volume is arranged into seven chapters (I-VII), with subject subheadings used to organise each. A contents page (f 4), referencing the volume’s pagination sequence, lists the chapter headings. A preface (f 5) precedes the chapters.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top-right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 29.
Pagination: A printed pagination system runs through the volume (ff 7-27), the numbers of which are located top and centre of each recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. and verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. .
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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‘A sketch of the political history of Persia, Iraq and Arabia, with special reference to the present campaign.’ [17] (27/58), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/C150, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023662459.0x00001c> [accessed 25 April 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/20/C150
- Title
- ‘A sketch of the political history of Persia, Iraq and Arabia, with special reference to the present campaign.’
- Pages
- front, front-i, 1:8, 1:46, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence