‘File 21/1 I Zubarah’ [79r] (162/474)
The record is made up of 1 volume (230 folios). It was created in 21 Jun 1944-15 Jun 1947. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
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4-1
ShaiIcb. 3aIraan came
as a result of a letter
effect that I was not willing to
abo ut f ubar an unt i 1 af t e r do Ion el 3 a 11 o way *
leave but that there were other matters of
see me on the 2nd .ieptember
h I wrote to him to the
into discussions
f roiii
a mo re urgent
ent er
nature about which I wished to speah to him after hataadhan.
2. In spite of my letter as soon as formalities
^ere over the dhaihh started off at once on the subject
of
Zubarah
18th-century town located 105 km from Doha.
ana resisted all my attempts to stop him,
uhen I eventually did get him to talk aoout other subjects
he kept on breaking off and returning to hubarah. He
said he had brought papers with him which he wished to
snow me but I refused to see them. He talked at great
length about "my rights" and "my land" and so on and
complained that it was two years and two months since
he had signed the agreement ana nothing had been done to
implement it. He complained of the further delay caused
by my refusal to aiscuss the matter until Colonel Calloway’s
return and saia that no doubt the matter would oe further
postponed owing to my departure on leave. He said he
was becoming a laughing stock of all the Arabs oecause
in spite of his friendship with the British he was unable
to obtain his rights. He did not refer at all to the
tower in the course of tne conversation but mentioned
chiefly the restrictions the ChaiKh of Q.atar was placing
on Bahrain subjects entering and leaving lubarah. If
I understood him rightly he stated that he did not claim
sovereignty over Cubarah but only wanted his grass and
water. »hen I ranarked that there was no profit for him
in Cubarah he replied that it was not a matter o'f profit
as he knew that there was nothing of value in
Zubarah
18th-century town located 105 km from Doha.
but one of prestige. He said that
Zubarah
18th-century town located 105 km from Doha.
was of more
importance to him than anything else in the world and that
so long as the present position existed he would continue
to remain in a state of anguish. He finally said that
he could not bear the present uncertainty and wanted a
decision one way or the other even though it was unfavourable.
I replied that I could not possibly give a decision until
I had heard what the Shaikh of Q,atar had to say on the
subject ana suggested that I might even have to inspect
the spot.
b. as soon as I was able I brought the conversation
round to the subject tnat I wished to talx to tne Shaikh
about. I said that now that the life of the oilfield
and the income from it was assured for 50 years I thought
that more ought to be spent on. improving conditions in
id ah am a and kuharraq. I referred to the la ex of any
development plan, the bad state of the roaas, to the need
for a hotel, town, planning etc. I also mentioned tne
difficulty that Colonel Bloodwbrth had experienced in
obtaining land fo r ah automatic exchange at muharraq and
to the unsatisfactory position that had been cheated by
the fact that although Hr. Tunnicliffe is nominally 3roup
Captain Leigh’s 'assistant he has not been placed in subordin
ation to him. Shaikh Salman first said that he coula not
do anything until the Subarah question a ad been settled,
at which I showed obvious signs of annoyance. He then said
that Bahrain was greatly in advance of the other Gulf States
so far its administration was concerned, and that he could
not be blamed for being conservative in expenditure when
the oil refinery coula be completely destroyed by one bomb.
I did not argue matters at great length but contented myself
on this occasion by giving tne Shaikh my views. I think
he load probably been informed beforehand the subject regarding
which I wished to speak to him and briefed by Hr. Belgrave.
HfiL •
About this item
- Content
The volume comprises correspondence concerning the ongoing dispute between the Rulers of Bahrain and Qatar over the sovereignty of Zubarah 18th-century town located 105 km from Doha. and the surrounding area on the Qatar Peninsula. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Bahrain (Cornelius James Pelly; Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Crawshaw Galloway), the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Lieutenant-Colonel William Rupert Hay), the Ruler of Bahrain (Sheikh Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah), and the Ruler of Qatar (Sheikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī).
The volume includes:
- an initial exchange of letters between the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. and the Rulers of Bahrain and Qatar, between February and July 1945, relating to the Ruler of Bahrain’s complaints that some of his subjects had gone to a place called Bruk on the Qatar Peninsula (near Zubarah 18th-century town located 105 km from Doha. ) to collect wood, and had been harassed by men associated with the Ruler of Qatar (ff 2-41). Underlying the dispute are the differing interpretations of the two Rulers to the agreement, signed by them in June 1944, to restore friendly relations between the states of Bahrain and Qatar, and to restore conditions at Zubarah 18th-century town located 105 km from Doha. to what they had been prior to 1936;
- correspondence between the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. and Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. , relating to Bahrain-Qatar relations and the 1944 agreement, including: comment on the vagaries of the 1944 agreement (ff 61-63); the difficulties encountered in the handing over of the role of Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. from one individual to another; the historical context of Bahrain-Qatar relations, including a note, prepared by the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. (Galloway) on the history of Zubarah 18th-century town located 105 km from Doha. , up to the present day (ff 100-107); discussion over the possibility of requesting the Ruler of Qatar to demolish his fort at Zubarah 18th-century town located 105 km from Doha. ;
- ongoing correspondence amid a stalemate in the disagreement over Zubarah 18th-century town located 105 km from Doha. , including: the imposition by the Qatar Customs Officer of export duties on limestone shipped from Qatar to Bahrain (ff 50-54); the Ruler of Bahrain’s agreement that the Al Bu Rumaih tribe be allowed to emigrate from Bahrain to Qatar (ff 95-96); the dispatch of a deputation to Zubarah 18th-century town located 105 km from Doha. by the Ruler of Qatar; continued letters, some enclosing petitions, from the Ruler of Bahrain, making his historical claim to Zubarah 18th-century town located 105 km from Doha. (ff 125-138);
- correspondence relating to an incident in early 1947, in which an individual from the Al Bu Rumaih tribe, on returning to Qatar, was arrested and imprisoned by the Ruler of Bahrain (ff 167-204). An attempt by the Assistant Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. (Captain Hugh Dunstan Rance) to intervene in the matter in the Political Agent’s absence, provoked a strong complaint from the Ruler of Bahrain, which in turn brought a rebuke from the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. (Pelly) on his return. In correspondence exchanged with the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the wake of the incident, Pelly suggests that Arab rulers, including the Ruler of Bahrain, are beginning to challenge British orders, in light of Britain’s ‘recessive’ policy in Egypt and India (ff 203-204).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (230 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The file notes at the end of the volume (ff 214-232) mirror the chronological arrangement. Letters in Arabic are generally immediately preceded by English translations prepared by Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. staff.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 235; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 4-213; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Pagination: the file notes at the back (ff 214-232) have been paginated using pencil.
- Written in
- English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/2/605
- Title
- ‘File 21/1 I Zubarah’
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:4v, 6r:8v, 10r:10v, 12r:13v, 17r:17v, 19r:22v, 24r:24v, 26r:26v, 28r:28v, 33r:34v, 36r:38v, 41r:48v, 52r:53v, 55r:55v, 57r:57v, 60r:63v, 65r:91v, 93r:98v, 100r:126v, 129r:133v, 139r:139v, 141r:141v, 143r:151v, 153r:154v, 156r:156v, 158r:160v, 162r:162v, 165r:165v, 168r:175v, 177r:189v, 191r:191v, 193r:197v, 199r:208v, 210r:234v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence