'A Précis of the Relations of the British Government with the Tribes and Shaikhs of 'Arabistan By Lieutenant A T Wilson, Acting Consul for Arabistan' [‎37r] (78/143)

59
it is doubted whether it has ever been so regarded by the Shaikh. It is
certain, however, that the almost complete absence of active frontier dis-
putes m Arabistan and the Shatt-al-'Arab is in no small degree due to the
tact that the Shaikh of Mohammerah is the actual owner of all lands in the
neighbourhood of the Turko-Persian boundary, and of all islands in the
Sliatt-al-Arab which might form objects of dispute.
Having thus briefly surveyed of the legal and proprietary relations exist-
ing between the Shaikh and the Turkish authorities, it remains to give a
brief account of the more important phases of the problem which inevitably
arises from the complex personal and tribal vested interests described above.
ci •?, he J, a i lie . of . Moh ammerah as a commercial position was established by
ohaikh Thumir-bin-Ghadhban (bin-Ghanim ?) bin-Salman, who opened it
as a free port, thereby inflicting serious damage on the revenues of the
1 urkish Customs at llasrah; hence arose the dispute concerning the place
between the Turks and the Persians. * 1 ’Ali, Pash'a of Baghdad, finding his
income considerably diminished determined on attacking Thamir and the
town taken by treachery was destroyed in 1831.
The Persians, being bound to support the Shaikh and to defend Persian
S u P r0 j es ^ e( ^ warmly against this action, though it does not appear that
they had recourse to actual hostilities. Meanwhile Shaikh Thamir, whose
head-quarters were at Fallahlyeh assumed a very independent position,
though nominally under the Turks.
The custody of Mohammerah was confided to HajI Jabir-bin-Mardao,
. Muhaisin, a tribe at that time subordinate to the Ka’ab. 2 Shaikh
Haji Jabir was a shrewd calculating Arab, far beyond his race in intelligence
and in civilisation. He is still spoken of by his contemporaries as superior
in intelligence to either of his successors. He owned several vessels, carried
on an extensive trade with Maskat and Bombay. In this way and by wise
investments in land, principally in Turkey, he gradually acquired a large
fortune and the influence that money brings.
Shaikh Thamir was succeeded by his son, Paris in 1834, but by this time
Haji Jabir was practically independent, and when in 1857 the British eva
cuated Mohammerah, which they had captured, thev handed it back to Haji
Jabir, who from this time forward was independent of the Ka’ab though he
did not actually make his residence at Mohammerah until the succeeding year,
having lived until then at Diaji. The Turks had therefore to deal hence
forward with a clever Shaikh backed by the united Arab forces of Moham
merah and Fallahlyah.
From that time forward Turko-Persian troubles ceased; the weakness of
the Turks prevented them from taking aggressive action even had they de
sired to do so against Mohammerah, the possession of which had, moreover,
been definitely assigned to Persia by the mediating Commissioners in I850. 3
On the other hand, Shaikh Haji Jabir at no time harboured aggressive designs
against Turkey, a proceeding which would have been contrary to His mode
rate and pacific policy. He died in 1881, and was succeeded by his son,
Miz’al who followed in his father’s footsteps for the most part. The Turks
were meanwhile growing less complacent and more aggressive, but a corre
sponding increase in Shaikh’s forces prevented any unpleasant incident.
In 1.877, the question of the ownership of the island (Shalhah) which
had formed within recent years on the left of Persian bank of the Shatt-al-
’Arab opposite Dawasir was raised by the Turks. They claimed it as Turkish
territory. An arrangement was come to, the details of which are not at present
available whereby the Turkish and Persian Governments agreed not to
allow it to be cultivated or occupied. The arrangement seems, however, to
have been disregarded and in 1883 when Nasir Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , Wall of Basrah, again
raised the question, it was being cultivated by Arabs of Shaikh Miz’al and
was claimea by the latter as Persian territory.
1 Vide “ Chaldeea and Snsiana,” 1857. W. K. Loftus, Chapter 22.
a Shaikh Khaz’al and a few of the Ka'ab Maslta’ikh still • wear the old fashioned Ka’ab turban, somewhat
similar, to that of the inhabitants of Shushtar and Dizful.
* As early as 1848, if not before, the British 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 Baghdad recognised him as a Persian
subject and •omplained of his prsceedings to the Shah.
I 2