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'Military report on the Aden Protectorate' [12v] (29/332)
The record is made up of 1 volume (164 folios). It was created in 1915. 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
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10
his reign the 'Abdali were at various times at war with the
Yafa'i, the Wahabis, and the Upper 'Aulaki.
Sultan Ahmad disd in 1827 and was succeeded by his nephew,
Muhsin-bin-Eadhl, from whom we captured Aden on the 19th
January 1839 in circumstances that have already been recorded.
Various engagements were entered into with this tribe
during the years that followed, but all were broken; and in 1857
'Ali -bin-Muhsin entered upon a course of open hostility which
resulted in his complete defeat at Shaikh Othman in March
1858 by a force composed of 2 or 3 companies of the 57th Regi
ment, a wing of the 29th Bombay* Infantry and a detachment
from the Elfhinstone.
In 1873 a force of Britisn and Indian intantry with three
guns marched to Al-Hauta to protect the Sultan against the
aggression of the Turks who had invaded his territory. After
some negotiations the Turkish troops were withdrawn.
In 1882 the Sultan's stipend was increased to 19,682 dollars
(Treaty No. XXIV) and we obtained by purchase 35 miles
of territory attached to Shaikh Othman, between the Hiswa
and 'Imad ! together with the salt pits and the aqueduct.
In succeeding years the 'Abdali had frequent troubles with
the 'Akrabi and the Subaihi, and an arrangement made in
1881, by which the latter tribe had been placed under the
control of the 'Abdali, fell into abeyance. But, though de
sultory fighting has constantly occurred, the 'Abdali have under
taken no operations on a large scale for many years.
The relation of the late Sultan, Ahmad Fadhl, with the
British Government were uniformly friendly. He came to
the throne in 1898, and died early in 1914, being succeeded by
his nephew, 'Ali bin Ahmad bin 'Ali.
'Akrabi.
The 'Akrabi were originally a sub-division of the 'Abdali.
Of their early history nothing is known; but about the year
1770, under the leadership of their Shaikh, they threw off their
allegiance to the Sultan of Lahej. The ruined fort of Bir Ah
mad which fell into their hands was restored and, assisted
by the Fadhli, they resisted the attacks of the 'Abdali. Since
then they have retained their independence and have a reputa
tion for high courage. _
For the first year after our capture of Aden the Akrabi
maintained friendly relations with us; but under the influence
About this item
- Content
Military report on Aden Protectorate by the General Staff India, dated 1915, and printed at the Government Monotype Press, Simla. The report's chapters cover:
History, including a general summary of the history the region from 529 A.D. to 1915; histories of the individual tribes ('Abdalī, 'Akrabī, 'Alawī, Amīr , 'Audalī, Upper Aulakī, Lower Aulakī, Fadhlī, Haushabi, Ka'atī, Kathīrī, Mahrī, Subaihī, Wahīdī, Upper Yafaī, Lower Yafaī); and the history of the Soqotra.
Geography, including a general description of the area, its mountains and rivers, and descriptions of Aden, Perim and Soqotra; and descriptions of the individual tribal areas, giving their boundaries, distances from towns and villages, and locations of fresh water; Climate and Health, including general information on the climate of the region and specific illnesses such as Malaria, information on the tribal area of Amīrī; tables showing average temperatures, sickness and death rates for European Soldiers in 1903, and observations on veterinary health.
Population, including a general description, the census for the Aden Protectorate taken in 1911, the population of Soqotra island, the populations of the various tribes, and statements showing the Subaīhī tribes in proximity to the Turkish border.
Resouces, including agriculture, supplies, commerce, industries, camels, horses, donkeys, cattle, sheep and goats, chickens and eggs, woods and trees; the resources of the Aden garrison; resources on the island of Perim; resources on the island of Soqotra; the resources of the various tribes, and a statement of the purchases made at Dhāla in summer 1903.
Military, including a general summary, armaments, fighting qualities and method of fighting; arrangements on the island of Perim and of the Soqotra people; approximate fighting strength of the principal tribes in the Aden protectorate; information concerning the town and Turkish frontier post at Ka'taba, including diagrams of the fort, a landscape sketch, and a sketch showing the position of Ka'taba with reference to Aden and British Territory.
Maritime, including the harbours and ancorages at Perim; Ras-ul-Ara; Bandar 'Imran; Bandar Fuqum; Khor Bīr Ahmad; Aden Harbour; Shuqra; Māqatīn-us-Saghīr; 'Irka' Ghubbat-ul-'Ain; Bālahāf; Bir 'Alī (Bandar Husn Ghurāb Shallow vessel with a projecting bow. ); Bandar Burūm; Mukalla; Shehr; Sharma Bay; Saihut; Qishn; Soqotra all with latitude and longitude co-ordinates given.
Administration, including a general summary of the various systems in use throughout the territory, the administration of the Aden Settlement, including Perim; and summaries of the administrative set-up of each of the Arab tribes
Communications, including details of the routes leading North and Northwest to the Turkish Frontier; Routes leading to the North; Routes in the Eastern portion of the protectorate; Amir of Dhāla's territory; Soqotra; Telegraphs and Signalling; Submarine cables; Wireless; Perim submarine cables
Appendix A is a list of the tribes, their rulers, stipends and salutes, Appendix B is a glossary of Arabic Terms, Appendix C is a list of tribal areas, their population and fighting force, and Appendix D is a bibliography.
At the rear of the volume is a pocket containing one map: Hunter's map of Arabia, which appears to have been added to the volume at a later date.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (164 folios)
- Arrangement
There is a detailed table of contents on folios 5-7, a comprehensive index to the report on folios 139-159, and a pocket containing the maps at the rear of the volume.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The foliation sequence consists of pencil numbers, enclosed in a circle, located in the top right hand corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio. The sequence commences on the front cover, with number 1, and ends on the last of the two maps which are inserted at the back of the volume, with number 164.
The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence which uses roman numerals i-vii for the table of contents; commences at 1 on the first page of the report and concludes with 298 on the last page of the index.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/17/16/6
- Title
- 'Military report on the Aden Protectorate'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, back-i, 2r:115v, 117r:161v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence