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File 10/11 Ibn Sa`ud and the Hijaz: Fall of Taif; abdication of King Husain; occupation of Mecca [‎131v] (262/514)

The record is made up of 1 file (255 folios). It was created in 9 Sep 1924-18 Nov 1924. 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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4
message to the people of Mecca, to the effect that the Wahabis were coming
would treat them as Taif had been treated unless they got rid of the Sharif (King
Hussein), who was referred to as Abu Khishah, t.e., “ The Chap in the Gunny Bag ”
or “ Him in the Sack.” They left on foot, in their underclothes and barefooted.
A small quantity of grain was given them by the W ahabis but not enough to go
round. One, an Indian, had managed to conceal two pounds and was able to buy
food on the way. A few died of exhaustion on the journey.
10. There is evidence that the invaders showed religious fanaticism. They
constantly addressed their victims as Kuffar (infidels) and Mushrikin (those who
join others with God, i.e., polytheists), and made many repeat the \\ ahabi formula.
It appears that instead of “ There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the pro
phet of Allah ” the Wahabis say “ There is no God but Allah alone : he has no
companion.” To this they sometimes add : “ and Muhammad is his slave and his
prophet.” They consider that the reverence shown by the Sunni for Muhammad
savours of idolatry. It is alleged that the Wahabis demolished the tomb of Abdullah
ibn Abbas cousin of the Prophet, but this, though widely believed and quite pro
bable, is not well authenticated.
It is believed now that most of the invaders belong to the Buqum and Ataibah
tribes. The military success and the enormous booty won by these fairly recent
converts are likely to win other tribes to the \\ ahabi tenets.
11. The local estimate of non-combatants killed by the Wahabis is from five
to eight hundred. It is probable that Some two hundred were killed. To casual
ties among the British Indians who happened to be in Taif ate these :—
(1) Muhammad Sadiq son of Muhammad Nadim .. Held to ransom.
(2) Muhammad Ismail son of Abdullah .. Do.
(3) Mian Jamal (Baroda) .. .. .. Missing, believed killed.
(4) Mian Ahmad (Baroda) .. .. .. Do.
Nos. (1), (3) and (4) were registered at this Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. . No. (2) was registered until
1914.
The three persons mentioned below viz. :—
(5) Mirza Abdul Rahman .. . . Killed.
(6) Ahmad, son of No. (5) .. .. Do.
(7) Anma, daughter of No. (5) .. Do.
were at first believed to be British Indians, but none was registered, Nos. (6) and (7)
were certainly born in Mecca, and it is probable that not even the father, No. (5),
was bom in India.
It is said that there were also some Sindhis in Taif, and there is a story that the
bodies of some of them were seen by the men who were made to bury the dead ; but
I can get no certain evidence of this.
The total number of Ind ans n Taif who were certainly or very probably
entitled to be considered as British subjects was about twenty.
A certain Ali Johar ibn Hasan Johar who was killed was a .web-known Calcutta
merchant, but I am not sure about his nationality. He is said to have been bom
in the Hejaz.
12. A Syrian general who was with the Hashimite forces in Taif states that the
Amir Ali decided to evacuate the town before he had lost a single man. There
may be some jealousy in this, but it is certain that the Hashimite army did not make
a very desperate resistance. At the moment of writing the Amir Ali is advancing
on Taif in the hope of retaking it, and one of the factors against him must be the
case with which he was driven out a fortnight ago. His force consists of perhaps
500 men which he brought from Medina, of whom most aie West Africans ; per
haps as many men of the Mecca troops, consisting of Yemenis of the worst kind
(the lowlanders), “ Hejazis ” (notorious for deserting with their rifles even in peace
time) from the agricultural country towards Taif, and Takrunis v r ho are nearly all
unwilbng recruits. The Mecca people were at first unwilling to furnish any recruits,
but the higher rates of pay which the Amir Ali seems to have compelled his father to

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Content

This file contains correspondence related to the British Government's relationship with Ibn Sa'ud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd].

In chronological order, the correspondence relates specifically to the capture of Taif by Wahhabi forces, the abdication of King Husain of the Hejaz (and the appointment of his son Ali as his successor), arrangements to evacuate pilgrims from the Hejaz and finally, the capture of Mecca by Wahhabi forces. As well as correspondence, the file contains a number of detailed accounts of these events that were written by the British Agent in Jeddah, Reader William Bullard.

The majority of the correspondence in the file is between British officials, but the file also contains a limited amount of correspondence from Ibn Sa'ud and officials of the Government of Hejaz. These letters are translated into English and the file does not contain copies of the Arabic originals.

The file contains English translations of two proclamations that were delivered by Ibn Sa'ud in October and November 1924 (folios 189-190 and 236).

Extent and format
1 file (255 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.

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 257; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at 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 present in parallel between ff 3-256; these numbers are also written in pencil but are not circled.

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File 10/11 Ibn Sa`ud and the Hijaz: Fall of Taif; abdication of King Husain; occupation of Mecca [‎131v] (262/514), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/5/36, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100035866971.0x00003f> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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