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supreme direction of the King. At the very end of the year it was decided to
appoint a Hejazi, trained in Egypt, as assistant or legal adviser to the Ministry.
This may be a set-back for the Syrians, but it is too soon to judge.
134. Changes of personnel in the internal administration were numerous
during the year. Few of them need be mentioned in a general report, but some
interest attaches to the transfer from Jedda to Taif of the young Amir, Abdul
Aziz-bin-Muammar, a descendant of the princely house of Ayaina, and the
appointment in his place of an acting kaimakam. No reason was given for the
reversion to the old-world and inferior title of kaimakam, which dates from
Turkish times and was last borne by Ibn Muammar’s predecessor, a local
commercial magnate. The most interesting feature of the affair is that it was
widely rumoured that Fuad Bey Hamza was to become Governor, but to retain his
position as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs. The rumour was still going
strong at the end of the year, but it had not been confirmed.
135. By far the most important change, however, was that produced by the
death at the end of October of the redoubtable Abdullah-bin-Jiluwi, Governor of
Hasa, a cousin of the King and his comrade in early adventures. He ruled his
province with a firm hand, and his influence extended much further, notably to
the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. sheikhdoms. His eldest son, Saud, succeeded him as Acting
Governor, and the King was understood to intend to confirm him in the post
during his visit to Hasa in January. Saud is a man of about 35. He created a
disagreeable impression on Sir Andrew Ryan when the latter passed through
Hasa in November. It does not necessarily follow that he will make a bad
Governor of Hasa. Mr. Philby speaks well of him.
136. Mention has already been made of the retention of the offensive
Governor of Kaf, Salih-bin-Abdul Wahid; of the appointment of a new Governor
to Najran; and of the death of the Governor of Jizan, whether from natural or
unnatural causes. The new Governor of Najran is Ibrahim-bin-Nashmi, an old
soldier who once played a role near the Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan frontier. He had not long
before been appointed to Turaba, and his transfer to Najran was thought to be
due to military necessities there. The effective Governor of Jizan would appear
to be one Ibn Aqil, probably the same man who was placed in command of the
Ikhwan at the time of the Ibn Rifada rebellion in 1932. To take one other key
post, it was hoped that Abdul Aziz-bin-Ibrahim, the arbitrary old Governor (or
rather Acting Governor, as he theoretically acts for one of the King’s sons) of
Medina, was being removed when he left his post in the spring; but he returned in
due course.
137. Ibn Saud has shown a growing tendency to appoint commissions of
enquiry, inspection or organisation during the last couple of years, to deal with
affairs in the capital or in the provinces. These included in 1935 a mission to
Hasa to investigate the proceedings of Sheikh Muhammad At Tawil, the Director
of Customs, &c., who was said to have fallen foul of Ibn Jiluwi and was certainly
at loggerheads with the California Arabian Standard Oil Company; and yet
another commission to deal with administrative problems in Asir.
138. There were signs in 1935 of an increase in the number of police posts
in the Hejaz and of a plan to centralise police control in the hands of the
Director-General of Police in Mecca. There may be some connexion between this
and the decision mentioned in paragraph 19 to transfer the control of certain
posts in the north from the recently created preventive organisation in Mecca to
that of the local Governors. At first sight this looks like decentralisation, but it
may well be that the idea is to increase the power of the Director-General of
Police, even though he may work through Governors. The whole subject is the
harder to size up as it is very difficult to tell policemen from soldiers in Saudi
Arabia, although the authorities tend more and more to make a definite
distinction. The salient point at present is the attempt to strengthen the police
organisation under the Central Government. Among the measures announced
was the establishment of a police school at Mecca, which was foreshadowed in the
press in July and for which provision was made in a decree published on the
25th December.