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'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. I' [‎100] (115/1050)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (523 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. .

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100
ADEN
over his subjects, and only permits measures to be taken against turbulent and aggressive
tribes whom it is necessary to punish. The Audhilah are always blockading the roads
through his country, and the Ahl Beman have an evil reputation for acts of violence
and oppression perpetrated on petty traders. The Elhin and the Ahl Biyan are similar
offenders. The enthics of such measures are, of course, doubtful but it can at least be
said that many tribes and sub-tribes abstain from predatory acts, deterred by th<5 fear
of bringing wholsale ruin and disaster on themselves and their fellow tribesmen.
The two chief tribes are the Ahl Maan and the A1 Mehagir. The Ahl Maan, with the
exception of a large detached section, the Ba Thoban near Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Khaura, east of Kisab,
inhabit the fertile valley of Yeshbum and its surrounding hills. They are noted for
their bravery and fighting qualities, and can muster about 5,000 fighting men. Their
ruling family is the Farid ; its present representative, Um Eusas ibn Farid. He is a man
of about 50, and has always been anglophile. He signed the Aden Treaty in 1904 He
succeeded his elder brother Erewes, who was deposed by the tribes in about 1895 for
intriguing with the then Sultan of Haban, Mehsin Ibn Saleh, and committing them to
the sack of Haban a venture which they refused to undertake. His family is as follows
(AHL MAAN.)
N asr,
Um Dheb Abu Bekr
(killed at Seylan.) (killed at Lahej,)
Erwes Ala'vi.
(deposed).
Yeslum
(imprisoned
for some time
at Izzan),
The Ahl Mehagir have no paramount chief. They can raise about 4,0000 fighting
men, but their strength is not concentrated like that of the Ahl Man. They lead a more
nomadic life, and range the country from the northern boundary of the Audhillah and
the Kaur el Od to the desert stretches north of the Nisab and the wild country of the
Ahl Karab and the Musabein, who pay a nominal allegiance to the Sultan of Upper
Aulaki, but are ever swift to raid his tribesmen when an opportunity occurs.
The most northern section of the Mehagir, the Ahl Hammam, are themselves inclinded
to be predatory, and scour the Hamam Desert on the look-out for caravans. When the
depredations become too frequent and obstructive, the Sultan of Nisab marches his
troops into their country and quickly restores order, dealing out condign punishment
on any raiding parties met with. The Hamam Akil, Hussein Abu Ahmed, has not
much control over his people and cannot check marauding.
In addition to his own tribesmen, the Sultan exercises suzerainty over the following :
1. The Bal Harith, who pay immediate allegiance to the Sherif of Behan, who in turn
is under Nisab influence and pays a private, semi-voluntary tribute.
2. The Musabein, merely nominal.
3. The Ahl el Karab, also nominal.
4. The Ahl el Saidi, who pay him land tax under pressure. A further description of
the above will be found under their names.
5. The Ahl Nasin, who derive their origin from the almost extinct race of Beni Hilal
a few surviving representatives of which may be found at Heyd Hadhenah They
number 700 men, and their territory stretches from el Hagr to Heyd Yeherr and to
wards the southeast. Its limit occurs at Gol el Hairur, and may be sa d to lie alonff
the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Merkha within the limits named. The Sultan is Nasr Abu Thalib, who belongs
to the Abu Thalib dynasty, an offshoot of the Nisab dynasty. His ^way'is, of course
subject to the jurisdiction of Aisab.
Farid.
Xasr
Balim. Harlid. Saleh, Um
Muham-
Rusas
med.
(present
J
Akil),
Abu
Bekr.
Meh
sin,
Abdullah,
Hamid.
Um Dheb,

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Content

Volume I of III of the Gazetteer of Arabia. The Gazetteer is alphabetically-arranged and this volume contains entries A through to J.

The Gazetteer is an alphabetically-arranged compendium of the tribes, clans and geographical features (including towns, villages, lakes, mountains and wells) of Arabia that is contained within three seperate bound volumes. The entries range from short descriptions of one or two sentences to longer entries of several pages for places such as Iraq and Yemen.

A brief introduction states that the gazetteer was originally intended to deal with the whole of Arabia, "south of a line drawn from the head of the Gulf of 'Aqabah, through Ma'an, to Abu Kamal on the Euphrates, and to include Baghdad and Basrah Wilayats" and notes that before the gazetteer could be completed its publication was postponed and that therefore the three volumes that now form this file simply contain "as much of the MSS. [manuscript] as was ready at the time". It further notes that the contents have not been checked.

Extent and format
1 volume (523 folios)
Physical characteristics

Foliation: This volume's foliation system 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.

Written in
English in Latin script
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'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. I' [‎100] (115/1050), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/16/2/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023909211.0x000074> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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