'File 3/8 Affairs of Sh. Khaz`als sons.' [137r] (273/508)
The record is made up of 1 file (252 folios). It was created in 15 Mar 1942-17 Aug 1948. 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.
- 7 -
SE CRET
the BAKHTIARI recovering their old position as the chiefs returned from the
opened prisons then led to heart searchings among the impoverished IdLAZ’ALI
exiles at B.ASRA* Oby should not they too recover the properties forced from
their imprisoned father? The heirs of Shaikh KKAE’.AL had better claims on
Allied goodwill than the heirs of SOLAT ud DOWLEH, the QASHQAX who had
fought for WASSvIUSS. One of the sons. Shaikh I-IUKAIilAD SA'ID was at the time
interned for supporting RASHID ALI, but he had been in the Iraqi Army and
the rest of the family were in no way implicated*
23. At the end of 1941 therefore Shaikh ABDUL AZIZ, CHASSIS's full
brother, paid an illegal visit to MQHAHMERAH to discover the lie of the land
and in the spring of 1942 ambitious schemes were laid to oust the Persian
acbninistration of KHUZISTATT. By then, of course, it was too late. Disturb
ances in the area bordering the railway and the pipeline were highly
undesirable, the British were committed to support the central government,
and unmistakeable intimations from British and Iraqi sources were sufficient
to prevent the matter from being put to the test.
24* In January 1943 however Shaikh CHASSID wrote to H.k. Ambassador
in BAGHDAD requesting to be restored to the family property and honours.
He does not appear to have received a reply. On 4th Lay 1943> selecting
the moment when the Persian forces in IC 1 UZI 8 TAN were involved with the
B/iKHTIARI at IZEH he took the bit betv/een his teeth, croeced the frontier
with his unbalanced half brother ’ABDUL loAJID and a few supporters and
attempted to rally the Arabs at QAJARIXA. He secured a limited following
chiefly from among his own tribe the LUKAISIN, but was induced by the
Consul and A.L.O. to return to MOHAfcLlERAH# There the Arabs vehemently
opposed his return to Iraq and drew up a petition to this effect (Appendix
’E 1 ), but they and he eventually yielded to British pressure, and by the
15th he was back in BASRA. The Persians sent aeroplanes over QAJARIYA
where all the tribesmen bn.d not yet dispersed and caused a few casualties,
but there were no further reprisals and H.M. Minister in TEHRAN took the
opportunity to urge on the Persian Government a settlement of the KHAZ’ALI
claims.
25* The outcome of this last step was an offer by the Persian
Government to compensate for the KHiZHALI’s claims in KEUZISTAN by a grant
of land ^ in the neighbourhood of TEHRAN. The HUHAISIN Shaikhs considering
that this would be the death blow to their hopes of at least a send.—
autonomous Arab government in Southern Khusistan made a counter offer of a
voluntary gift of a proportion of the income of their own and other dis
puted estates, and this proposal was welcomed by Sheikh ’ABDULLAH, probably
the most estimable of the KHAZ’ALIs, on the grounds;
(1) That in view of the return of the other tribal leaders
to their estates, the KHAZ’ALIs had a sound claim to
similar treatment.
(2) That the Persian Cove rumen c were not co be trusted and that
if once the KHAZ’ALIs signed a document renouncing their
claims in KHUZISTAN some excuse would soon be found to deprive
them of their new property.
(3) That they had not the money necessary for the intrigues in
TEHRAN Which would inevitably precede such a settlement.
(4) That to take such a step would indeed be the abanuorm»nt of
the Arabs of KHUZISTAN.
With ’ABDULLAH tire last consideration undoubtedly had weight.
26. On 11th June 1944> CHASSIB wrote a letter to H.li. Ambassador in
BAGHDAD, complaining that his family was in a bad way financially, and
asking the British to back him up in his claims for the return of the
KHAZ’ALI estates. He claimed that H.M.G. had not honoured a word of the
promises/
About this item
- Content
This file relates to the heirs of Shaikh Khaz‘al [Khaz‘al bin Jabir bin Merdaw Āl Ka‘bī], the late Arab Shaikh of Mohommerah [Khorramshahr], and their requests for British assistance.
The first few items of correspondence concern Shaikh Khaz‘al's eldest son, Shaikh Chassib bin Khaz‘al [Shaikh Chassib bin Khaz‘al Āl Ka‘bī], who is now living in Iraq and who is reported to have requested permission from the British Embassy at Baghdad to enter Iran (most of the correspondence in this file refers to Iran as Persia), for the purpose of personally pressing his claims to property belonging to his father, which had been sequestered by the late Shah [Reza Shah Pahlavi].
The remainder of the file relates to Shaikh Chassib's brother, Shaikh Abdullah bin Khaz‘al [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Khaz‘al Āl Ka‘bī], and his wish to return to live in Persia, apparently peacefully, which is treated with suspicion by British officials. Much of the correspondence discusses whether Shaikh Abdullah, who has taken refuge in Kuwait after an unsuccessful attempt to return to live in Persia, should be given a British pension or an allowance, in order to prevent him from attempting to return to Persia, since it is deemed unlikely that he will receive any compensation from the Persian Government for the loss of his father's property.
Also included in the file are a copy of a document from the Combined Intelligence Centre, Iraq, entitled 'The Sheikhdom of Mohammerah A Short History' and a Foreign Office report entitled 'British Relations with Khazal, Sheikh of Mohammerah'.
The principal correspondents are the following: 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. , Kuwait; 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. ; the British Consul, Khorramshahr; the 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. ; the Secretary of State for India; the Foreign Office; His Majesty's Ambassador, Tehran; His Majesty's Ambassador, Baghdad; the Ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Ahmed al Jabir As-Subah [Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ]; Shaikh Abdullah bin Khaz‘al.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (252 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Circled serial numbers (red for received correspondence; blue/black for issued correspondence) refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the volume.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 254; 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. Additional foliation sequences, one of which is written in pencil and not circled (between ff 3-131 and ff 143-224), and one of which is written in pencil and circled (between ff 1-253), have been superseded and therefore crossed out.
- Written in
- English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
'File 3/8 Affairs of Sh. Khaz`als sons.' [137r] (273/508), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/5/178, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100030262304.0x00004a> [accessed 9 October 2024]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100030262304.0x00004a
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100030262304.0x00004a">'File 3/8 Affairs of Sh. Khaz`als sons.' [‎137r] (273/508)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100030262304.0x00004a"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000831.0x0000a5/IOR_R_15_5_178_0273.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000831.0x0000a5/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/5/178
- Title
- 'File 3/8 Affairs of Sh. Khaz`als sons.'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:44v, 46r:55v, 58r:63v, 65r:66v, 68r:71v, 73r:80v, 83r:118v, 120r:120v, 122r:130v, 132r:143v, 145r:145v, 147r:162v, 164r:165v, 167r:198v, 202r:207v, 211r:216v, 219r:221v, 223r:227v, 230r:239v, 242r:253v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence